Whether the once-popular painkiller Vioxx can be lethal if taken for just a few weeks will be the crux of the first federal trial concerning the drug's safety, plaintiff's lawyers said Wednesday.
          Jere Beasley and Andy Birchfield, the Montgomery, Ala., lawyers representing the widow of a man who had a fatal heart attack a month after taking Vioxx, said they intend to skewer Vioxx-maker Merck & Co.'s contention that the drug can't cause heart hazards unless taken for 1 1/2 years or more.
          "The 18-month myth is something Merck has manufactured to avoid liability," Birchfield said.
          Merck faces about 7,000 state and federal Vioxx lawsuits. Analysts say Merck could pay billions over the drug through jury verdicts, settlements and legal costs.
          Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck pulled Vioxx from the market in September 2004 when a study showed the painkiller could double risk of heart attack or stroke if taken for 18 months or longer. The company says no studies show that risk if taken for shorter spans.
          Beasley and Birchfield aim to show a jury some of Merck's own studies among 58 clinical trials conducted before Vioxx went on the market in 1999 that revealed increases in heart attacks or other cardiovascular problems after a few weeks' use.