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Violation Tracker Individual Record

Company: Merck
Current Parent Company: Merck
Penalty: $8,250,000
Year: 2013
Date: February 22, 2013
Offense Group: safety-related offenses
Primary Offense: drug or medical equipment safety violation
Secondary Offense: False Claims Act and related
Violation Description: Pennsylvania's lawsuit against Merck alleged that the company failed to disclose its studies, which showed the use of the drug Vioxx increased the user's risk of serious illnesses, such as heart attack and stroke. The Commonwealth stated that it would not have purchased the quantities of Vioxx it did had Merck properly disclosed the studies revealing the associated health risks.
Level of Government: state
Action Type: agency action
Agency: Pennsylvania Attorney General
Civil or Criminal Case: civil
Facility State: Pennsylvania
HQ Country of Current Parent: USA
HQ State of Current Parent: New Jersey
Ownership Structure of Current Parent: publicly traded
Major Industry of Current Parent: pharmaceuticals
Specific Industry of Current Parent: pharmaceuticals
Source of Data: $8.25 Million Settlement Reached with Merck on Vioxx Lawsuit by Pennsylvania Attorney General, Targeted News Service, February 22, 2013 (via Nexis).
Source Notes: If an online information source is not working, check the Violation Tracker Data Sources page for an updated link.
Current parent company note: Parent-subsidiary relationship is current as of the most recent revision listed in the Update Log.