The first civil suit against Merck, the manufacturer of the drug Vioxx, will be held in a small Texas town beginning this Thursday. Media and legal experts will be watching as Merck tries to stave off damning evidence that Merck knew of Vioxx’s heart risks and failed to conduct the necessary scientific studies before the drug was approved in 1999. The evidence that will be presented during the trial comes from company email messages as well as Merck internal memos and documents between top Merck scientists.