At issue is that Merck delayed the release of a study showing that it’s cholesterol drugs Zetia and Vytorin didn’t work any better than a generic version of Merck's older cholesterol pill, Zocor. The company’s delay in releasing the results triggered criticism by analysts, investors and scientists.

The settlement must still be approved by a federal judge. Merck admitted no wrongdoing.

Read the full article from USA Today here.