Whistleblower Lawsuit against Merck over Mumps Vaccine Unsealed
Date Published: Monday, June 25th, 2012
Former Merck employees Stephen Krahling and Joan Wlochowski filed a whistleblower lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2010 alleging that Merck overstated the effectiveness of its mumps vaccine. The lawsuit was unsealed last week after the government decided it would not join the case.
The lawsuit claims that the U.S. Government has paid hundreds of millions of dollars for a vaccine that has become less effective than what Merck has long claimed. Merck said the lawsuit was “completely without merit” and that it will “vigorously defend itself” against the accusations.
The mumps vaccine in question has been included in routine MMR (measles mumps rubella) inoculations since the 1970s.
“It’s important to understand that none of the allegations in the complaint relate to the safety of M-M-R II and we remain confident that M-M-R II helps protect against measles, mumps and rubella as described in the labeling for the vaccine,” 4-Traders.com reports Merck as saying.
“M-M-R II continues to be recommended for routine administration to children by public health authorities around the world, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” the company said.
The lawsuit seeks an amount of three times the damages incurred by the US, plus the maximum amount allowed under federal whistleblower guidelines.
This entry was posted on Monday, June 25th, 2012 at 7:36 pm and is filed under Defective Drug Lawsuits.
Whistleblower Lawsuit against Merck over Mumps Vaccine Unsealed
Date Published: Monday, June 25th, 2012
Former Merck employees Stephen Krahling and Joan Wlochowski filed a whistleblower lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2010 alleging that Merck overstated the effectiveness of its mumps vaccine. The lawsuit was unsealed last week after the government decided it would not join the case.
The lawsuit claims that the U.S. Government has paid hundreds of millions of dollars for a vaccine that has become less effective than what Merck has long claimed. Merck said the lawsuit was “completely without merit” and that it will “vigorously defend itself” against the accusations.
The mumps vaccine in question has been included in routine MMR (measles mumps rubella) inoculations since the 1970s.
“It’s important to understand that none of the allegations in the complaint relate to the safety of M-M-R II and we remain confident that M-M-R II helps protect against measles, mumps and rubella as described in the labeling for the vaccine,” 4-Traders.com reports Merck as saying.
“M-M-R II continues to be recommended for routine administration to children by public health authorities around the world, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” the company said.
The lawsuit seeks an amount of three times the damages incurred by the US, plus the maximum amount allowed under federal whistleblower guidelines.
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