Merck & Co. Inc. became the latest health care company to strike a major settlement with the Justice Department on Nov. 22, agreeing to pay $950 million to resolve criminal and civil charges stemming from its marketing of the painkiller Vioxx.

As part of the settlement, Merck Sharp & Dohme, the company’s U.S. unit, will plead guilty in Boston federal district court to a single misdemeanor count of violating the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and will pay a $321.6 million criminal fine. Merck will also pay nearly $628.3 million to settle civil allegations that it marketed Vioxx for off-label uses and made false statements about the drug’s safety.

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