Merck’s Marketing of Drug With ‘Madagascar 3’ Draws Complaint

Merck & Co.’s use of cartoon characters from the movie “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” to market children’s allergy drug Claritin is dangerous and deceptive, advocacy groups say.

Use of the animated animals may cause kids to confuse the medicine with candy, according to a complaint filed by 11 groups today with the Federal Trade Commission. The same characters are used to sell children’s snacks and McDonald’s Corp. Happy Meals, the groups said.