NEW YORK -- (Business Wire)

Weiss & Lurie, a national class action and shareholder rights law firm with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the Board of Directors of Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISPH) arising from its proposed acquisition by Merck (NYSE:MRK) for $5.00 per share.

Weiss & Lurie is investigating whether Inspire’s Board acted in the best interests of shareholders in approving the transaction and whether the Board properly sought to maximize shareholder value. Notably, Inspire shares traded over $8 per share in December 2010, and at least one analyst set Inspire’s price target at $7.00 as recently as February 17, 2011.

If you own Inspire shares and would like more information about your rights as a shareholder or additional information concerning our investigation, please contact Michael A. Rogovin either by email at infony@weisslurie.com or by telephone at (888) 593-4771.

Weiss & Lurie has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded institutions and individuals and obtained important corporate governance in these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (such as insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or issuing materially misleading press releases or SEC filings), consumer fraud (such as false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at infony@weisslurie.com or fill out the form on our website, http://www.weisslurie.com/contact/report_fraud/.

Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contacts:

Weiss & Lurie
Michael A. Rogovin, Esq.
1500 Broadway, Suite 1600
New York, NY 10036
T: 212.682.3025
F: 212.682.3010
www.weisslurie.com

Source: Weiss & Lurie