The judge presiding over 3,500 Vioxx cases in New Jersey has set Feb. 27 as the next trial date, this time for a consolidated trial of two plaintiffs' claims, despite drug maker Merck & Co.'s urging that each case be decided on its own facts.
One plaintiff, John McDarby, 76, of Park Ridge, N.J., took Vioxx for arthritis pain from March 2000 until his heart attack in April 2004. The other, Thomas Cona, 59, of Cherry Hill, N.J., took Vioxx from August 2001 until his heart attack in June 2003.
Superior Court Judge Carol Higbee in Atlantic County also scheduled three cases for trial on April 24 and two for June 12.
Higbee grouped the cases based on the alleged damage as well as the specific years and length of time the plaintiffs took the prescription painkiller.
The seven plaintiffs, including McDarby and Cona, are N.J. residents who took Vioxx for more than 18 months and then suffered a heart attack. One died.
Details here from the New Jersey Law Journal via Law.com.