Business news in brief

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, January, 2007

IN THE REGION N.J. court clears way for Vioxx class-action suit... A New Jersey appellate court panel opened the door yesterday to a potential class-action lawsuit against Merck & Co. Inc. on behalf of people who took its now-withdrawn pain reliever Vioxx and want the company to pay for tests to detect possible heart ailments.

The ruling by the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey came as jury selection began in Atlantic City for the next product-liability trial over Merck's onetime blockbuster arthritis pill. That trial, before Superior Court Judge Carol Higbee, is scheduled to begin Monday.- AP ... As company nears contract negotiations with USW Also, United Steelworkers International president Leo Gerard visited workers at Merck & Co. Inc. in West Point...