The Worst Drug Company Marketing Techniques (III): MERCK

New Jersey-based pharmaceutical behemoth Merck introduced Vioxx, a painkiller popularly prescribed for arthritis, in 1999. But in 2004, after the drug had been shown to increase the risk of heart attack if taken for more than eighteen months, Merck took it off the market. An estimated 88,000 Americans reportedly suffered heart attacks as a result of taking Vioxx -- 38,000 of them fatal -- and, facing tens of thousands of lawsuits, Merck ultimately settled for $4.85 billion, the largest settlement in the company's history, but far less than the $10-25 billion predicted by analysts.

Last year, Merck made another huge settlement -- this time, more than $650 million -- after the Justice Department accused the company of overcharging Medicaid for its products and unlawfully paying kickbacks to doctors.

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