Merck’s marketing tactics face intense scrutiny in Australian lawsuit

In Australia, drug maker Merck is embroiled in a class action lawsuit over its painkiller Vioxx. During the trial, which the New York Times said Australians are following like a soap opera, lawyers are drawing back the curtain on Merck’s marketing tactics. “The revelations in court testimony and defense evidence include accusations that Merck’s Australian affiliate circulated a marketing publication in the guise of an independent medical journal for doctors and countered safety concerns…