Merck was ordered by a New Jersey judge to remove from its Web site a press release about a trial next week over whether its Vioxx painkiller caused heart attacks in two men.
Superior Court Judge Carol Higbee told Merck to take down a release discussing both lawsuits, including one on the 2002 death of Brian Hermans, 44. The release blamed his heart attack on clogged arteries and other risks, saying he had methadone in his system when he died.
Methadone, a synthetic narcotic and painkiller, is used to treat addiction to heroin and OxyContin.
''To suggest that this man used illegal drugs is an outrageous smear," Mark Lanier, a lawyer for Hermans's sister, said.
''There are a group of people in this world who think that methadone isn't used for anything but overcoming heroin addiction. They don't know it's also used for pain relief."
Merck, the fourth-largest U.S. drugmaker, withdrew Vioxx in 2004 when a study showed it raised the risk of heart attacks.
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