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”.