Merck's Vioxx Pain Lingers

Before Merck (MRK Quote) yanked Vioxx off the market, nearly a third of the employees at Ricci Leopold -- a law firm now suing the company -- used the blockbuster painkiller themselves.

Senior partner Edward Ricci actually suffered chest pains just 10 days before the stunning drug recall. He had been taking Vioxx for 11 months to ease the pain caused by bone spurs in his left foot. He never knew the popular "super aspirin" posed cardiac risks until he saw a headline announcing the drug's withdrawal on Sept. 30.

"I was stunned," Ricci said. "I stopped taking the drug immediately." ...