San Francisco Chronicle, "Second Trial Underway Against Vioxx Maker"

          A lawyer for a man who blames Vioxx for his heart attack told jurors Wednesday that the man had an active lifestyle but was stricken within two months of beginning to take the painkiller.
          During opening statements in a product liability case against Vioxx maker Merck & Co., attorney Chris Seeger said client Frederick "Mike" Humeston resorted to the drug to address persistent pain from a Vietnam War shrapnel wound.
          Humeston, 60, of Boise, Idaho, survived the Sept. 18, 2001, heart attack and is now suing Whitehouse Station-based Merck, saying the company knew the risks posed by the popular arthritis drug but failed to warn consumers adequately.
          Holding hands with wife Mary, Humeston limped into the courthouse Wednesday morning, favoring the damaged knee that earned him a Purple Heart and later prompted his doctor to recommend Vioxx.
          The trial, one of about 2,475 Vioxx cases pending in New Jersey, is the first one to go to trial since a Texas jury found Merck responsible for the death of a Vioxx user whose widow blamed the drug for his heart arrhythmia. In that case, the jury found Merck to blame and ordered a $253 million award, though that amount is expected to be dramatically reduced because of a Texas law capping punitive damages in civil cases.