Why shouldn't Merck be involved in studies of post marketing adverse events surveillance as mandated by Code of Federal Regulations 21CFR310.305 & 21CFR310.305? The study I cited was published in an internationally recognized journal for all to see, review and critique - Not on an obscure blog. Critique via international peer review will not be limited to "Merck funded the study so it MUST be corrupt!" It will focus on application of study design & methodology, selection of study subjects, cohesiveness of study aims versus conclusions, scientific soundness of conclusions as supported by the data, appropriate application of statistical analyses and any errors detected. Other researchers can pursue further studies to confirm or void the findings. It's all a fluid, transparent and proven system that adds to the overall knowledge base in the matters studied.
This study was obviously a part of the FDA mandated post marketing surveillance process. If you honestly feel there was fraud and/or malfeasance involved, perhaps you should report this to the FDA so Kaiser Permanente and Merck can have government investigations and heavy fines heaped upon their heads. No more just talk here – Mobilize for ACTION!