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The government awards contracts to companies with histories of misconduct such as contract fraud and environmental, ethics, and labor violations. In the absence of a centralized federal database listing instances of misconduct, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is providing such data. We believe that it will lead to improved contracting decisions and public access to information about how the government spends hundreds of billions of taxpayer money each year on goods and services. Report an instance of misconduct »

Merck & Co., Inc.

Humeston v. Merck & Co., Inc. (Vioxx Litigation)

Date: 03/12/2007 (Date of Verdict)

Misconduct Type: Health

Enforcement Agency: Non-Governmental

Contracting Party: None

Court Type: Civil

Amount: $47,500,000

Disposition: Judgment Against Defendant

Synopsis: Frederick Humeston, a postal worker from Boise, Idaho, alleged he suffered a heart attack in 2001, at age 56, as a result of his use of the prescription pain medication Vioxx, which is manufactured by Merck. His heart attack occurred several months before Merck issued a stronger warning about the drugs's cardiovascular risks. (Merck pulled Vioxx from the market in September 2004 after its own research showed the drug increased the risk of heart attack and stroke.) At an earlier trial, the jury ruled in favor of Merck, but Humeston later won a new trial, which resulted in a jury awarding him and his wife $20 million in compensatory damages and $27.5 million in punitive damages.