Merck hit with $285,000 verdict in Fosamax trial

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal jury on Tuesday ordered Merck & Co Inc to pay $285,000 in a lawsuit over the risks of its osteoporosis drug Fosamax, the second loss for the company after several earlier trials. The eight-person jury in U.S. District Court in Manhattan found that Merck failed to warn plaintiff Rhoda Scheinberg’s doctors of the risks associated with Fosamax. The jury rejected the plaintiff’s argument that Fosamax was a defective product. More than 4,000 lawsuits are pending in federal and state courts arising out of injuries allegedly caused by the one-time blockbuster …