Merck & Co. Inc. will pay $950 million to settle criminal and civil charges that it illegally promoted the painkiller Vioxx, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. The department said Merck will plead guilty to a misdemeanor offense and pay a $321.6 million criminal fine. The company is entering into a civil settlement in which it will pay $628 million to resolve additional allegations regarding off-label marketing of Vioxx and false statements about the drug's cardiovascular safety, the department said. The plea and settlement resolve a long-running investigation into Merck's marketing of Vioxx, which was withdrawn from the market in 2004.
