Monday, September 19, 2005

Humeston Vioxx Trial Highlights Week One

Highlights from the Humeston trial last week:

Judge Higbee does not allow jurors to hearg about an FDA memo issued in 2005 that said cardiovascular risks are associated with Celebrex, Bextra, ibuprofen and naproxen & not just Vioxx.

Higbee rips Merck's lead attorney, Diane Sullivan, for commenting on the Plaintiff's lawyers in her opening statements which violated the Pretrial Order.

2 docs' testimony didn't help. Humeston's doctor (Gregory Lewer) tells jurors Humeston was an active nonsmoker with no history of heart disease who was stricken two months after he started taking the drug to relieve pain from an old war wound.

Dr. Benedict Lucchesi, fights back tears on the stand. He said, "they're putting profits before lives," Lucchesi told the jury.