The New York Times, "Jury Finds Merck Liable in Vioxx Death and Awards $253 Million"

          In the first verdict of a Vioxx-related personal-injury lawsuit, a Texas jury found the drug's maker, Merck, liable and awarded $253.5 million to the widow of Robert Ernst, who died in 2001 after taking the painkiller and arthritis medicine.
          After deliberating for a day and a half, the jury of seven men and five women gave Mr. Ernst's widow Carol $24.5 million for mental anguish and economic losses. Jurors also awarded an additional $229 million in punitive damages after finding that Merck had acted recklessly in selling Vioxx with knowledge of the risks associated with taking the drug.
          Judge Ben Hardin of the Texas District Court announced the verdict on the fourth floor of the Brazoria County Courthouse in Angleton, about 40 miles south of downtown Houston, shortly after 1:45 p.m. Central Time.
          Mrs. Ernst, her family and lawyers erupted in cheers and began to hug each other.
          With a flood of Vioxx lawsuits soon to reach juries, the size of the verdict may have important implications for both Merck and the entire drug industry, lawyers and analysts said. More than 4,000 Vioxx-related cases have been filed.
          The jury's decision also illustrates the legal dangers that drug makers face when they aggressively advertise their medicines to consumers, a practice that spread widely in the late 1990's.
          More than 20 million people had taken Vioxx before the company pulled the drug from the market last September after a clinical trial indicated that Vioxx increased the risk of heart attacks or strokes in patients taking it for longer than 18 months.