Merck KGaA — Ethics Grade C-

Merck KGaA receives an overall ethics grade of C- (48/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Pharmaceuticals. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 70
• privacy: 85
• consumer: 50
• environment: 45
• humanRights: 60

Documented incidents (3)

• European Commission Antitrust Fine (medium, 2016) — Merck KGaA was fined as part of a cartel that fixed prices for certain raw materials used in the production of consumer health products.
• Groundwater Contamination (medium, 2022) — The company faced lawsuits regarding historical chemical leaks of solvents into groundwater supplies near manufacturing sites.
• Kickback Allegations (medium, 2019) — Allegations emerged regarding improper payments to healthcare professionals to influence the prescription of certain specialty drugs.

Documented good deeds

• Access to Medicine Index Lead — Consistently ranked high for efforts to provide affordable medication in low-and-middle-income countries.

Ethical alternatives

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals — Stronger focus on orphan diseases with high transparency in clinical trials.