One week before its second trial is about to begin, Merck lawyers are trying to block jurors from seeing the following information: 1)FDA researchers estimated Vioxx deaths, 2)Picture of the plaintiff prior to taking Vioxx, 3)Merck’s profits, and 4)Merck executives’ salaries. In their ongoing campaign of disinformation, Merck is more interested in profits than public safety. However, there may be serious consequences to their behavior. In Texas, the state itself contends that Merck defrauded it out of hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid payments. While Texas is the first state to take this extraordinary step, it probably won’t be the last. In addition, to $168 million in damages, Texas is seeking additional civil penalties. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot believes the state can prove total damages in excess of $250 million including triple reimbursement of $56 million for five years of filled Vioxx prescriptions. It is estimated that 700,000 Vioxx prescriptions were filled through Medicaid during those five years in Texas alone. According to the Attorney General, this is “a prime example of a company’s drive for profit steamrolling its duty to be safe.”