A final, sordid chapter in the tort litigation over Vioxx — Merck’s arthritis drug accused of increasing heart attack risk — ended as a judge divvied up $315 million for the plaintiffs’ attorneys who worked on the lawsuit. This  was in addition to the more than $1.2 billion already paid to such attorneys. When you add in what Merck paid to plaintiffs and for its own attorneys, Vioxx litigation cost the company more than $7 billion. Read More