After joining Merck & Co. as general counsel, he directed the company's defense against litigation over the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx.

[7] In 1991, Esther F. Lardent, head of the Death Penalty Representation Project, asked Frazier to defend death-row inmate James Willie "Bo" Cochran.

[9] In 1995, after 19 years on death row, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit overturned Cochran's conviction.

During Frazier's law career, he also took four summer sabbaticals to teach trial advocacy in South Africa.

[6] As a lawyer at Drinker Biddle, one of Frazier's clients was Merck & Co., the second-largest drug company in the United States.

[13] As general counsel, he was credited with overseeing the company's defense against claims that the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx had caused heart attacks and strokes.

[21] As of December 31, 2016, Mr. Frazier was eligible for early retirement subsidies under the Qualified Plan and SRP with a pension valued at $26,593,261.

[25] In the years 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively Frazier sold 787,792, 694,698 and 280,000 shares of the firm's stock with a total value at time of sale of $110.23 million.

On February 4, 2021, Merck announced that Frazier would be retiring as president and CEO at the end of June, while remaining executive chairman.

Durette lied about being on the conference call under oath and then Merck's legal team advised him to blame it on poor memory.

"It is overwhelmingly clear...," she ruled, "that Dr. Durette sought at every turn to create the false impression that Merck's conduct was aboveboard."

She blamed Merck, which she said "sponsored and encouraged" his conduct, then sought to minimize its importance by attributing the fiasco to "the failed memory of a retired employee."

Federal Judge Beth Labson Freeman described the company's behavior as "systematic and outrageous deception in conjunction with unethical business practices and litigation misconduct."

"[29][27][28] In 2017, Merck said it agreed to enter into a settlement and license agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co and Ono Pharmaceutical Co Ltd to resolve all global patent-infringement litigation related to its cancer drug, Keytruda.

[31] Frazier currently serves on the board of directors of Merck (as executive chairman), the National Constitution Center, and Eikon Therapeutics.

[34] In November 2011, the Pennsylvania State University board of trustees appointed Frazier (a trustee) to serve as chairman of a special committee investigation into the child sex abuse scandal involving former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky and allegations of a cover up by university officials.

Frazier stated, "America's leaders must honor our fundamental views by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal.