Was the Vioxx Verdict Too High?

Much has been made recently about the high verdict against the pharmaceutical company who manufactured vioxx. Here is the editorial from the Houston Chronicle setting forth reasons for the high verdict such as:

• The drug company aggressively marketed Vioxx, even after indications that the drug caused heart attacks and strokes; and
• Merck delayed strengthening the warning label on the drug for four months after calculating it would earn $229 million by waiting.