[JURIST] A deadlocked federal jury in a Texas Vioxx case [JURIST report] will resume its deliberations Monday after informing US District Judge Eldon Fallon on Saturday that it could not reach a unanimous verdict about whether Merck & Co.’s [corporate website] Vioxx [JURIST news archive] painkiller caused Richard Irvin’s heart attack and subsequent death. Fallon asked the jurors to continue, reminding them of their civic obligations to thoroughly consider the case. Merck faces up to 100,000 similar claims, though only 7,000 suits have been filed so far. In the first case to go to trial, a Texas state court jury in August ordered Merck to pay $253 million [JURIST report]. In November, however, Merck won its first Vioxx suit [JURIST report] in a New Jersey state court, and hopes that a second victory in the federal case will ease the pressure to settle the 7,000 claims that have already been filed. Bloomberg has more.