CEO Richard Clark

(Reuters) - Merck & Co has reached settlements to resolve lawsuits from the states of New York, Florida and South Carolina alleging the company misled state regulators about the dangers of the painkiller Vioxx, according to court filings.The confidential sums were revealed in a court filing Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, where thousands of Vioxx cases have been consolidated. In 2007, Merck had agreed to pay out $4.85 billion to resolve claims from...Read Full Story

(Reuters) - Merck & Co has reached settlements to resolve lawsuits from the states of New York, Florida and South Carolina alleging the company misled state regulators about the dangers of the painkiller Vioxx, according to court filings.The confidential sums were revealed in a court filing Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, where thousands of Vioxx cases have been consolidated. In 2007, Merck had agreed to pay out $4.85 billion to resolve claims from...Read Full Story

LONDON (Reuters) - European drugmakers still outrank their U.S. counterparts in making medicines available to poor people, but the lead they established two years ago is starting to shrink, according an analysis published on Monday.The Access to Medicines Index (AMI) - released this week for the second time since its launch in 2008 - is produced by a Dutch-based foundation and backed by 22 institutional investors and fund managers, who together manage $3.1 trillion in assets.It put Britain's...Read Full Story

LONDON (Reuters) - European drugmakers still outrank their U.S. counterparts in making medicines available to poor people, but the lead they established two years ago is starting to shrink, according an analysis published on Monday.The Access to Medicines Index (AMI) -- released this week for the second time since its launch in 2008 -- is produced by a Dutch-based foundation and backed by 22 institutional investors and fund managers, who together manage $3.1 trillion in assets.It put Britain...Read Full Story

BOSTON (Reuters) - Gilead Sciences Inc said on Wednesday that its experimental HIV drug elvitegravir proved as effective as a drug made by Merck & Co in a late-stage clinical trial.The trial showed that after 48 weeks of treatment, dosed once daily, elvitegravir was as effective as Merck's Isentress, which is dosed twice daily in combination with other antiretroviral drugs.Gilead's shares rose 2.7 percent to $41.53 in midday trading.Discontinuation rates caused by adverse events were...Read Full Story

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc CEO Richard Clark, once viewed as a behind the scenes manufacturing guru expected to merely steer the company through its Vioxx legal woes, has emerged as a major dealmaker. Merck's plan to acquire fellow New Jersey drugmaker Schering-Plough Corp for $41.1 billion is a major strategic shift for a 117-year old company that has boasted a long tradition of avoiding major deals. "Definitely things have changed. It's pretty remarkable how the company is...Read Full Story

BANGALORE (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co is close to striking a marketing alliance with Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd for the Indian market, the Mint reported on Monday.The partnership between Sun and MSD Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, the Indian arm of the U.S. drugmaker, could either be a marketing joint venture or a co-marketing tie-up, the newspaper said citing sources it did not name.An announcement was likely on Monday, it said, adding officials at both the companies declined...Read Full Story

MERCK'S GROWTH PILL Another pharma outfit down the hatch: Merck agreed to swallow New Jersey neighbor Schering-Plough for $41.1 billion on Mar. 9, six weeks after Pfizer said it will buy Wyeth for $68 billion. Merck, like Pfizer, faces anemic revenues over the next few years as its top drugs lose patent protection, so Merck CEO Richard Clark aims to grab new products to replace the old. Expect more pharma deals as companies look to beef up to compete with their newly muscled rivals. Next in...Read Full Story

Merck & Co. press release - Merck Resolves Previously Disclosed Seven-Year Investigation Led by U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts Related to Vioxx®Read Full Story

An experienced New York Vioxx/Celebrex lawyer helps in deciding the best ways to protect you and your family. Vioxx lawyers are aware of the medical risks caused by this drug, and the seriousness of their side effects. A New York State Vioxx lawyer offers a free consultation to find out whether you have a feasible case. If they were satisfied with your case then, they would work with your doctor to make sure that you are correctly represented and protected.Read Full Story