Merck to Face 40,000 Vioxx Suits, Officials Say

Merck & Co. will face about 40,000 claims over its withdrawn Vioxx painkiller once deadlines for filing lawsuits lapse around the U.S., court records and lawyer estimates show.

Most suits over the drug have been filed in state courts in New Jersey and California or are being managed by a federal judge in New Orleans. Merck faced about 30,000 claims in those courts just before a key Sept. 30 deadline, court officials said. The 10,000 remaining suits have been or will be filed in jurisdictions with later deadlines, lawyers involved with the cases said.