Merck, Glenmark Lose Bid to Toss Claims in Zetia Antitrust Case

Merck & Co. and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. failed to convince a federal judge to toss antitrust claims tied to an alleged deal they made to delay the generic version of anti-cholesterol drug Zetia.

Judge David S. Doty of the US District Court for the District of Minnesota in a Tuesday order denied Merck and Glenmark’s motion to dismiss claims that the agreement caused insurer plaintiff United HealthCare Services Inc., a unit of UnitedHealth Group Inc., to pay more for Zetia and a related drug Vytorin, both manufactured by Merck.

“Even though not all of the specific facts supporting the ...