Merck & Co. (MSD) — Ethics Grade C

Merck & Co. (MSD) receives an overall ethics grade of C (55/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Pharmaceuticals. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 60
• privacy: 40
• consumer: 40
• environment: 60
• humanRights: 75

Documented incidents (3)

• Vioxx Misleading Safety Data (high, 2013) — Though an older case, the company continues to manage the legacy of Vioxx, where it was found to have suppressed data regarding heart attack risks associated with the pain reliever.
• Shingles Vaccine Injury Claims (medium, 2020) — Faced hundreds of lawsuits alleging that the Zostavax vaccine could cause the very shingles it was intended to prevent, leading to neurological injuries in some patients.
• NotPetya Data Breach (medium, 2017) — A massive cyberattack highlighted vulnerabilities in Merck's global systems, leading to production halts and exposing thousands of employee and trial participant records.

Documented good deeds

• Mectizan Donation Program — Maintains the longest-running drug donation program in history, providing Mectizan to eliminate River Blindness in 30+ countries.

Ethical alternatives

• Sanofi — Better ESG disclosure and stronger focus on public-health centric R&D.