State Law

Benjamin Bertram of the Bertram Law Firm, which represents clients in both cases, said Friday that the Jackson County case involves only Vytorin but that both filings generally accuse the companies of misstating the effectiveness of the drugs when a recently released study apparently found otherwise.

A study released Jan. 14 suggested that Vytorin didn't reduce the absorption and buildup of cholesterol in blood streams any better than similar drugs on the market. The companies still maintain that Vytorin -- a combination of Zetia and Zocor -- did reduce levels of so-called bad cholesterol.

Since the study was released, Merck and Schering-Plough have come under criticism for not releasing the study's findings sooner while continuing to run advertising about the quality of their drugs.

Executives at both companies said they did what they could to get the study, called the ENHANCE study, out on time.

"While the ENHANCE trial was time consuming and took longer than originally anticipated to complete, our companies acted with integrity and good faith in connection with the trial," said Thomas Koestler, president of the Schering-Plough Research Institute. "We took numerous actions to assure the quality of the reading of the ultrasound images."