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Federal Contractor Misconduct Database (FCMD)
The federal government routinely awards contracts to companies with
histories of misconduct, including
…
contract fraud and other
violations. POGO believes that providing this website will help to
improve contracting decisions and increase public knowledge of how
the government spends billions of taxpayer dollars each year.
Read more…
Vytorin Multistate Investigation
The Oregon Department of Justice led a 36-state investigation into the delayed release by Merck and Schering-Plough (and a joint venture of the two companies called MSP Singapore Company) of the results of a clinical trial for the cholesterol drug Vytorin. The investigation concerned the companies’ lengthy delay releasing negative results from a clinical trial called Ezetimibe and Simvastatin in Hypercholsterolemia Enhances Atherosclerosis Regression (ENHANCE). The ENHANCE study showed that Vytorin (a combination of the drug Zetia and Zocor) was no more effective in reducing the formation of plaque in carotid arteries than Zocor alone. Although ENHANCE ended in May 2006, a partial reporting of the negative results did not occur until January 2008 and complete results were not published until the following April. In July 2009, the companies agreed to pay $5.4 million to settle the investigation. See related Merck instances, “Vytorin/Zetia Securities Litigation” and “ENHANCE Securities Litigation”.
- Misconduct Type
- Health
- Enforcement Agency
- State/Local
- Contracting Party
- None
- Court Type
- N/A
- Disposition
- Settlement
- Date of Settlement Announcement
- 7/15/2009