Germany's Merck Slapped With Formal French Investigation Related To Its Thyroid Drug

The French court is reportedly investigating Germany-based Merck KGaA MKKGY, saying the company provided misleading information regarding its thyroid drug product Levothyrox.
The ruling did not concern the new formula for the Levothyrox product but how the company provided information when changing from the old to the new formula.
It is part of criminal proceedings launched in March 2018.
Reuters reported that Merck has already been condemned in civil litigations for not providing sufficient information when changing the drug's formulas.
In March, France's highest court confirmed an appeal court ruling ordering Merck to pay €1,000 each to compensate over 3,300 people suffering from thyroid problems after it changed the drug formula in 2017.
They had said Merck's decision to remove lactose from the drug to make it easier to handle had resulted in side effects such as memory loss, weight gain, and palpitations.
Merck also confirmed that the Marseille judge had placed the company under court supervision, asking it to deposit €4.3 million and provide a banking guarantee of up to €7 million, which its lawyer said was "totally unjustified."