Medical Expert Says that Vioxx Was a Factor in Man's Death

By Dave Wilson

Published on December 05, 2005

A pathologist for the prosecution in the case of Richard "Dicky" Irvin has testified that Vioxx use triggered the man's heart attack.

Dr. Colin Bloor, who is a professor at the University of California at San Diego, claimed that Vioxx likely caused a blood clot to form. Such a blood clot could have lodged in Irvin's partially blocked artery and initiated a cardiac arrest.

Merck countered that Dr. Bloor is not an expert when it comes to Vioxx. The pharmaceutical company contends that Irvin's heart attack was probably triggered by ruptured plaque from his arteries, which autopsy reports describe as moderately to severely clogged.

Irvin, a seafood manager in St. Augustine, Florida, had a fatal heart attack in 2001. His widow is now suing Merck & Company, the maker of Vioxx, in a defective drugs case. So far, Merck has lost a first state trial and won the second. This is the first federal Vioxx lawsuit to be tried in court.

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