Shareholders of Rahway, N.J.-based Merck said June 8 they "denounce" the drugmaker's recent lawsuit against HHS and CMS.
On June 6, Merck accused the two organizations of violating the First and Fifth amendments through an allowance legalized by the Inflation Reduction Act, which gives Medicare negotiation powers for the 10 costliest drugs with no generic or biosimilar competition.
The shareholders, which are part of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, said the Inflation Reduction Act "has long been needed to bring balance to the way drug prices are set" and that drugmakers should focus on patients, not profits.
HHS said in January it would publish which drugs are up for negotiation by September, and those revised prices are slated to begin in 2026.