REGINA - An attempt to certify a class-action lawsuit against makers of the drug Vioxx has pushed forward in Saskatchewan.
Regina lawyer Tony Merchant says Court of Queen's Bench has ruled that a case against Merck Frosst has merit on the issues of negligence, deceit, battery and breaches of consumer protection legislation.
The lawsuit alleges the drug Vioxx caused heart attacks and other fatal conditions.
Merchant says the suit has not yet been certified as a class action because the judge wants a plan from the plaintiffs on how the case would be pursued.
But he calls the judge's comments important because an attempt to build a national class action in the United States failed.
Merck argues that people who claim they suffered injury from taking Vioxx must pursue individual lawsuits.
