Merck & Co.

History

  Merck & Co. traces its origins to Friedrich Jacob Merck who purchased a drug store in pharmaceutical factory that produced — in addition to raw materials for pharmaceutical preparations — a multitude of other chemicals.

In 1891, George Merck established his roots in the United States and set up Merck & Co. in New York as the US arm of the family partnership, E. Merck (named for Emanuel Merck), which is now George W. Merck, who oversaw America's germ-warfare research at Fort Detrick. Today, the US company has about 61,500 employees in 120 countries and 31 factories worldwide. It is one of the top 7 pharmaceutical companies worldwide, much larger than its German ancestor, which currently employs around 28,600 people in 54 countries.

In 2005, CEO Raymond Gilmartin retired at the age of 64 following Merck's voluntary worldwide withdrawal of Vioxx. Former president of manufacturing Richard Clark was named CEO and President of the company.

Corporate governance

Current members of the board of directors of Merck & Co. are: Richard Clark, Johnnetta Cole, William Harrison, William Kelley Rochelle Lazarus, Thomas Shenk, Anne Tatlock, Samuel Thier, Wendell Weeks, and Peter Wendell.^[2]

Products

• etoricoxib) - for the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis (not approved in the US, but approved and sold in Europe, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region and Middle East/Northern Africa)
• Cosopt (timolol) - reduces intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
• losartan)- used to treat hypertension and to reduce the risk of strokes.
• Crixivan (indinavir) – a protease inhibitor HIV medication.
• Emend (chemotherapy.
• alendronate) – osteroporosis medication.
• vitamin D) – osteroporosis medication.
• HPV vaccine) - a vaccine against human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease that is the most common cause of cervical cancer.
• Invanz - an injectable antibiotic (diabetic foot infections.
• Isentress (raltegravir) - HIV integrase inhibitor.
• dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor for the treatment of diabetes
• Maxalt (rizatriptan) one of many triptans used to treat migraines.
• ivermectin) - used to treat river blindness.
• carbapenem antibiotic.
• finasteride) – used for alopecia (male pattern baldness) and prostatic conditions.
• rubella, and varicella in children.
• Rotateq - a vaccine to prevent rotavirus gastroenteritis, a leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children.
• Singulair (leukotrienes.
• cholesterol-lowering preparation marketed in collaboration with Schering-Plough.
• Zetia (ezetimibe) - cholesterol absorption inhibitor which lowers LDL
• statin.
• vorinostat) - a histone deacetylase inhibitor for the treatment of cutaneous T cell lymphoma.
• Zostavax - a vaccine for prevention of shingles in adults older than 60 years of age.

Vioxx

In 1999, the United States naproxen. Vioxx became one of the most prescribed drugs in history.

Thereafter, studies by Merck and by others found an increased risk of heart attack associated with placebo-controlled safety trials, and it was possible that the effect was more related to naproxen decreasing the risk of heart attacks than one of Vioxx increasing the risk. Nonetheless, in 2002 Merck adjusted the labeling of Vioxx to reflect possible cardiovascular risks.

On September 23, 2004, Merck received information about results from a clinical trial it was conducting that included findings of increased risk of heart attacks among Vioxx users who had been using the medication for over eighteen months.^[3] On September 28, Merck notified the FDA that it was voluntarily withdrawing Vioxx from the market, and it publicly announced the withdrawal on September 30. The FDA has since recommended that Vioxx be put back on the market, but with a more prominent warning regarding cardiovascular risks on its label.

On November 5, 2004 the medical journal The Lancet published the results of its analysis of the available studies. It concluded that “the unacceptable cardiovascular risks of Vioxx (rofecoxib) were evident as early as 2000...” ^[4] The Lancet condemned Merck for having kept the drug on the market, despite its knowledge of the risks, and also criticized the FDA for its failure of regulatory oversight.

On August 19, 2005, Merck was found liable in the death of a man who took Vioxx. The plaintiff was awarded $253.4 million in damages, which were subsequently reduced to $20 million, the maximum allowed by Texas statute. In a followup case in New Jersey, Merck was found not liable. A third case is pending in Louisiana. Merck's stock fell $2.35 to $28.06/share (7.73%) in the minutes after the verdict was announced. At the time of the verdict, there were over 4,000 other lawsuits pending against Merck regarding Vioxx, and several thousand against Bextra, which, in some cases, caused an adverse skin reaction.

Subsequently, Merck tried unsuccessfully to get a successor drug to Vioxx, called lumiracoxib (Prexige), respectively.

In November 2007, Merck proposed to pay $4.85 billion to settle most of the nearly 27,000 pending Vioxx lawsuits.^[5] The settlement will require that claimants provide medical proof of having suffered a heart attack or a stroke and show they received at least 30 Vioxx pills. This proposed settlement is generally viewed by industry analysts and investors as a victory for Merck, considering that original estimates of Merck's liability reached as high as $50 billion.^[6]

Cordaptive

On September 4. 2007, Merck & Co. introduced the experimental Vytorin.^[7]

Isentress

Raltegravir, Merck's HIV integrase inhibitor was unanimously recommended for accelerated approval by the FDA's Advisory Committee on September 5, 2007. Isentress works by acting on a specific enzyme in HIV, integrase, that allows the DNA from HIV to become part of human DNA in the replication process. ^[8]

Awards

Merck & Co. was named one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers in 2004 by Working Mothers magazine.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Merck family

References

v • d • e Merck & Co., Inc.
Corporate Directors:	The Merck Manual
Annual Revenue: $22.9 billion USD (2% FY 2004) · Employees: 63,000 · Stock Symbol: NYSE: MRK · Website: www.merck.com

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