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Jury sides with Merck in federal Vioxx trial
By TIMES WIRES
Published September 27, 2006
A federal jury ruled in favor of Merck & Co. Inc. on Tuesday in a lawsuit over the painkiller Vioxx, finding there was not enough evidence to link the drug to a Kentucky man's heart attack. The jury, made up of six women and two men, deliberated for about three hours before reaching a verdict. The jurors left the courthouse without commenting on their decision. Robert Garry Smith, 56, claimed in U.S. District Court that the drug contributed to a heart attack he had 3½ years ago. He said he had taken Vioxx for knee pain for about 4½ months but didn't realize at the time of the heart attack that Vioxx may have been a cause for concern. But the drugmaker's defense lawyer argued there was no medical testimony indicating Vioxx had anything to do with the heart attack that Smith suffered in 2003. Vioxx went on the market in 1999; Merck pulled it two years ago, after a study found a greater risk of heart attack in those who had taken the drug continually for at least 18 months than in those who had taken placebos. Tech jobs post best 6-month gain in five years The U.S. tech industry grew by 140,000 jobs in the first half of the year, its best six-month showing in five years, according to the trade association AeA, formerly the American Electronics Association. This year's growth almost doubled the total for the first half of 2005 and brought the total number of tech jobs in the United States to 5.81-million, the highest level since 2002. However, the tech sector's 2.5 percent growth rate was not as robust as the 3.5 percent logged in by the private sector. Orlando business writer dies of heart attack Orlando Sentinel business columnist Susan Strother Clarke, 47, died Monday after suffering a heart attack. She collapsed Sunday evening while working on a computer in a home office, according to the Sentinel. Donations may be sent to the Nature Conservancy's Florida scrub-jay project, 222 S Westmonte Drive, Suite 300, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714. Tech company to move to Pasco, add several jobs Technology company DataMentors Inc. could hire as many as 40 new employees after it moves its headquarters from Tampa to Pasco County in early 2007. DataMentors will build a 10,000-square-foot office in the Cypress Creek Office Park near Interstate 75 and State Road 56. The 7-year-old company now employs 20.
[Last modified September 27, 2006, 01:21:15]
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