Judge strikes key Merck witness from Vioxx trial

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (AP) - The judge in the second Vioxx product-liability trial delivered a stunning blow to Merck & Co. when she barred the testimony of its first defense witness from the record. 

With the jury out of the courtroom, Superior Court Judge Carol Higbee said she felt misled and sickened upon rereading the transcript of Thursday's testimony by a Merck researcher who said studies in the late 1990s showed the pain reliever would not cause heart damage.