A New Jersey judge yesterday ordered Merck to release records on how much it spent on a trial involving its Vioxx painkiller.
The information would provide a window into how much Merck spends on its trials, and what its legal defense costs could be in the future. Nearly 30,000 suits have been filed against Merck, which has vowed to try each case involving Vioxx.
So far, Merck has reserved $970 million for legal costs and spent $285 million of that last year.
Judge Carol Higbee's order stems from a request from plaintiffs' lawyers that Merck pay their legal fees and expenses of roughly $5.6 million for a trial that combined the cases of two men who suffered heart attacks while taking Vioxx.
The jury found Merck committed consumer fraud in its marketing of Vioxx, and that finding allows plaintiffs' firms to ask for legal fees.
But Merck balked at the expense level, prompting plaintiffs' lawyers to ask how much Merck spent on the trial.
Star-Ledger
No comments:
Post a Comment