Merck afraid of facing ethics expert in Vioxx case

It is widely believed that Merck used unethical business practices in the manner in which it launched Vioxx and how long it took before announcing a recall in September last year. In fact, recent evidence confirms that as many as two years before the drug was launched the company knew that it was a dangerous drug.

So it was no surprise that Merck opposed testimony of an ethics expert, Michael Hoffman, executive director of the Center for Business Ethics, at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts. Hoffman has written or edited 16 books on business ethics and is the author of over 60 articles. He is the past President of the Society for Business Ethics. For now, though, Merck's wish has been granted by Judge Carol Higbee and the jurors will not be hearing if Merck violated its own motto, "Where patients come first," because in the Vioxx case it is now very clear that profts came ahead of patients.

Michael Humeston vs. Merck starts next week and right now pre-trial hearings are going on in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

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