Vioxx Settlement, Hospital Ratings, First Born Asthma, Wii Fit

Maureen Fitzgerald | Fox 61

Connecticut is one of 30 states that have cut a deal with Merck over misleading ads involving the painkiller Vioxx.

It's a massive settlement-- almost 60-million dollars.

Of that, Connecticut will get more than one million dollars. In the legal fight, Merck was accused of heavily promoting the drug.

But not doing enough to warn patients about the painkiller's side effects. Ever wonder how other patients rate your local hospitals?

Ready or not, you're about to find out.

Full-page ads will soon debut in newspapers across the country, with info. On hospital satisfaction rates about 25-hundred hospitals will be included.

It's all part of a campaign, from the federal government.

It'll cost nearly 2-million dollars.

Ads will rate patient care,

And reveal the percentage of patients who got the help they needed, and the necessary antibiotics before surgery.

That information could help you make a more informed decision about where to get treatment. A new study suggests that first born children... Could have higher asthma and allergy rates than the siblings who follow.

British scientists say this happens because of different conditions in the uterus.

The findings add to the evidence... Those allergic reactions are programmed during pregnancy... And then have an effect later in life.

This is the first study to test whether the effect of genes Involved in the development of asthma and allergy...and how it differs between first and later-born children.

If you already love Wii,

Then get ready for Wii fit!

The interactive video game hits stores today.

We told you about it earlier this week.

It makes sense, since some people are already using way for rehab efforts.

It includes a balance board,

And takes players through yoga and other exercises.

wii fit also measures body mass index.