Distrust Between The Lancet And The Open Letters By Merck

Merck is an American pharmaceutical manufacturer that has been in business for over 100 years in the United States as well as over seas. In 2000, Merck released Vioxx, an Arthritis painkiller that was designed to block COX-2 inhibiters throughout the body. Blocking the inhibitors protects the body from damage to the intestines and stomach. In 2004, reports from both The Lancet and the WSJ made accusations that Merck knew of the increased cardiovascular risks because of Vioxx, yet attempted to silence the studies and reports that showcased the facts. Though Merck pulled Vioxx from the market, the alleged unethical behavior from the company lead to an explosion of distrust between Merck and its customers. The “Open Letters” created by Merck CEO Raymond Gilmartin deploy three repair strategies in efforts to recover Merck’s positive image: the letters effectively communicated to the individual reader on a more personal level, the letters are brilliantly succinct and to the point, and the letters carefully delivered positive language that expresses a confident …show more content…
Rather then participating in TV, newspaper or radio interviews, Raymond Gilmartin justly reached out to multiple individuals by creating the letters. In place of relying on open communication with a single reporter Gilmartin composed as though having a one-on-one conversation with the individual reading the letters. Therefore, it politely allowed Merck to connect with those who were directly affected by the cardiovascular complications from Vioxx. Raymond appropriately exercised this technique by issuing the words “our” and “we” to represent Merck in its entirety in “For 100 Years, Patients First” and “An Open Letter”. In doing so, Merck’s “Open Letters” conversed to the individual reader on a more intimate