ONLINE EXTRAS SITE SERVICES  >   > Saturday, Jul 30, 2005 National                 Posted on Mon, Jul. 25, 2005 Cardiologist says Vioxx contributed to Texas man's death KRISTEN HAYS Associated Press ANGLETON, Texas - A UCLA Medical Center cardiologist told jurors in the nation's first Vioxx-related civil trial Monday that he believed the painkiller contributed to a Texas man's death from arrhythmia. Asked by plaintiff's lawyer Mark Lanier if he believed Vioxx was a significant contributing factor in Robert Ernst's 2001 heart attack or sudden cardiac death, Dr. Isaac Wiener replied, "I would call it sudden cardiac death, and I would answer yes." But under questioning by lawyers for Vioxx producer Merck & Co., the doctor admitted he couldn't be medically certain that the man had a genuine heart attack. Wiener, a cardiologist and co-director

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