Kuwait fund sues Merck over painkiller

A Kuwaiti government fund manager said Merck & Co failed to disclose the risks of Vioxx, suing the drugmaker more than a decade after it pulled its painkiller from the market.

The Kuwait Investment Office claimed Merck made misstatements and omissions about the cardiovascular risks of Vioxx, which the company withdrew in September 2004. Transamerica Funds and Aegon Investment Management joined the complaint, filed January 23 in federal court in Newark, New Jersey. Those suing opted out of a classaction securities lawsuit certified by a judge in January 2013, allowing them to pursue their own claims against Merck.