The jury in the Ernst v. Merck Vioxx trial heard testimony from the daughter of Carol Ernst, who has filed a lawsuit blaming Merck for the death of her husband. A weeping Shawna Sherril testified yesterday that her mother has been distraught since her husband's sudden death four years ago. The lawsuit, which alleges that the painkiller Vioxx is responsible for the heart attack that killed Robert Ernst in May of 2001, is being closely watched by both critics of the drug industry and Wall Street analysts.
Later in the day, the jury saw a videotaped deposition by Dr. Brent Wallace, the physician who prescribed Vioxx to Mr. Ernst. Wallace testified that he was surprised to learn that Merck was closely monitoring his prescribing patterns and had placed him on a list of doctors who might be convinced to put more patients on Vioxx.
- see this story from the Houston Chronicle