| ET • Merck Exec Testifies in 1st Vioxx Trial ANGLETON, Texas, July 19, 2005 (AP) Merck & Co.'s top epidemiologist testified in the country's first Vioxx-related trial that an in-house training game for Vioxx sales representatives dubbed "Dodge Ball" wasn't about learning to dodge questions from doctors about the drug's safety. Nancy Santanello, executive director and head of Merck's department of epidemiology, was the first witness to testify in the case that began with opening statements last week. As Merck's corporate face among the company's team of lawyers she took some verbal punches Monday as plaintiff's lawyer Mark Lanier questioned the ethics of Merck's marketing and commitment to safe drugs. Her testimony was to continue Tuesday. In the case, the widow of a man who took the drug for about eight mo
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