Starr County Vioxx plaintiff's $32 million jury verdict overturned

A Texas appeals court has reversed a $32 million jury verdict against drug maker Merck, saying a Starr County woman did not prove the drug Vioxx caused her husband's death.

The case of Leonel Garza, who died in 2001 after taking the drug, was one of the few trial court wins against the company for Vioxx deaths or injuries.

A jury awarded Felicia Garza and her children $32 million in April 2006 by a Starr County jury. A judge later reduced that amount to $7.75 million.

Merck pulled Vioxx from the market in 2004 after studies linked the arthritis treatment to increased risk of heart attack and stroke.