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Vioxx Hearings End In Mistrial

The Vioxx drug case ends in a mistrial after Federal Judge Eldon Fallon cites a hung jury. The jury, which was based in Houston, had been deliberating on the case since December 8. A hearing to schedule a new trial has been slated for next week, the reports says.

In a release early Monday, Merck says it is disappointed by the decision and is prepared to face a retrial. "We will be right back with the same facts," according to Kenneth Frazier, Merck`s general counsel.

"The Vioxx litigation will go on for years," Frazier adds. "We have the resources and the resolve to address these cases, one by one, in a reasonable and responsible manner." Merck abruptly took Vioxx off the market in September 2004 after a clinical study showed it raised the risk of heart attack or stroke in patients who took the drug for 18 months or longer.