Merck news stories on Newser

Merck Pays $950M to Settle Vioxx Charges

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:49:38 CST

Drug maker Merck will pay $950 million to resolve investigations into its marketing of the painkiller Vioxx. The Justice Department said Merck will pay $321.6 million in criminal fines and $628.4 million as a civil settlement agreement. The company also will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge that...

HPV Vaccine-Maker Merck, Perry Cozier Than Claimed

Rob Quinn — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:02:06 CDT

Rick Perry told Michele Bachmann in Monday night's GOP debate that he received only a $5,000 donation from HPV vaccine maker Merck, but his financial ties to the drug maker are closer than that figure suggests, the Washington Post finds. Perry's campaigns have received almost $30,000 from Merck...

Tough Choice for Bald Men: Hair or Sex?

Kate Schwartz — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 17:56:05 CDT

Tough news for the follicly challenged: Balding men taking finasteride, Merck's prescription drug that goes by the names Propecia and Proscar, may find they have trouble in bed—for a long while. Though the drug's label warns of "reversible" symptoms of sexual dysfunction, a small survey of 76 men under...

Disgraced Doctors Land at Big Pharma

Kevin Spak — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:59:20 CDT

Pharmaceutical companies say they hire highly respected doctors as their white-coat sales force, peddling their drugs to other physicians. But a Pro Publica investigation has discovered that hundreds of these pitchmen have been accused of professional misconduct, been disciplined by state boards, or lacked credentials. Medical board records in the...

After 20 Years, Scientists Crack HIV Puzzle

Jane Yager — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:11:39 CST

After 40,000 failed trials and "painstakingly slow progress," scientists have solved a puzzle that stumped AIDS researchers for more than 20 years—and their findings could help develop more effective HIV drugs. The researchers at Harvard and Imperial College London grew a crystal that for the first time made...

Drugmakers Hike Prices Ahead of Reform

Jane Yager — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:08:02 CST

Bracing for health care reform, drug companies have been raising prices at the fastest rate in almost 20 years—even as they pledge to support Washington's goal of cutting the nation's drug bill. The pharmaceutical industry is scrambling to get the price base as high as possible before legislation to...

Cervical Cancer Vaccine Linked to 32 Deaths

Kevin Spak — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:16:58 CDT

Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine marketed to teen girls, has been linked to 32 deaths and other serious side effects including fainting and blood clots, according to a government report released yesterday. Since 2006, several complications of the vaccine have been reported, ABC News reports, ranging from neurological disorders to...

Tech Snaps Nadaq's Streak; Dow Climbs 24

Nick McMaster — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:24:21 CDT

The tech sector exerted downward pressure on stocks today, snapping the Nasdaq’s 12-day winning streak, the Wall Street Journal reports. Microsoft sank 8.9% after reporting a 29% drop in quarterly earnings, while Amazon fell 8.3% after also reporting a disappointing quarter. Alcoa, Pfizer, and Merck helped the Dow...

Spending on Health Care Lobbying Up 41%

Sarah Quinn — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:45:01 CDT

As the health care debate heats up in Washington, insurance and drug companies are keeping their lobbyists busy. So far this year, those industries have increased their lobbyist spending by 41% as they fight a proposed public insurance plan, USA Today reports. That's $35 million in the first quarter for...