Merck to pay $4.85B Vioxx settlement Merck & Co. said Friday it will pay $4.85 billion to end thousands of lawsuits over its painkiller Vioxx in what is believed to be the largest drug settlement ever. NJ jury orders Merck to pay $47.5 mln in Vioxx case A New Jersey jury on Monday ordered Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK) to pay $47.5 million in damages after finding that the drugmaker's withdrawn arthritis drug, Vioxx, was responsible for a plaintiff's heart attack and that the company was reckless in promoting the drug. Merck wins latest federal Vioxx trial A New Orleans jury handed Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK) a victory Wednesday in the latest federal Vioxx product liability trial, finding that the drugmaker adequately warned of the heart risks associated with the medicine.