[JURIST] A New Jersey jury on Thursday found that pharmaceutical company Merck [corporate website] properly warned consumers about the risks associated with its painkiller Vioxx [Merck Vioxx Information Center website; JURIST news archive]. In the first case to go to trial, a Texas jury in August found Merck liable for $253 million [JURIST report] for the wrongful death of a man who suffered cardiac arrest after using the drug. Vioxx was recalled last fall after clinical tests showed that patients who use the drug for more than 18 months faced increased risk of stroke and heart attack [FDA public health advisory]. Merck currently faces thousands of state and federal lawsuits over its distribution of the drug, and after the unfavorable August verdict, had said that it would consider settling some claims [JURIST report]. AP has more.