International Business News - merck http://www.ibtimes.com All articles are copyrighted by IBTimes.com 400 100 http://www.ibtimes.com/ http://www.ibtimes.com/images/top_logo_ibt2_3.gif Merck & Co. said Thursday it will end a late-stage development program on its potential obesity drug taranabant and abandon plans to apply for approval, citing side effects associated with high doses. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081002/merck-ends-obesity-drug-study-and-regulatory-plan.htm Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:45:33 EDT Florida has joined eight other states in suing drugmaker Merck & Co. over what the state alleges was deceptive marketing of its former prescription painkiller Vioxx. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081001/florida-sues-merck-to-recover-money-spent-on-vioxx.htm Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:48:20 EDT Merck & Co. said Thursday it signed a licensing contract for Japan Tobacco Inc.'s prospective osteoporosis treatment. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080925/merck-licenses-osteoporosis-drug-candidate.htm Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:59:55 EDT Merck & Co. is about to contract out some of its sales work to deal with short-term vacancies in the U.S. sales force, just months after it eliminated about 15 percent of that staff. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080922/merck-to-contract-out-some-sales-jobs-_-after-cuts.htm Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:22:19 EDT SurModics Inc., which makes products to deliver pharmaceuticals to patients, said Wednesday Merck & Co. plans to stop a collaboration agreement the two signed in 2007. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080917/surmodics-says-merck-drops-it-as-partner.htm Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:48:04 EDT A new type of osteoporosis drug being developed by Merck & Co. increased bone density over two years in postmenopausal women with mild osteoporosis, the company reported Tuesday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080916/new-merck-osteoporosis-drug-boosts-bone-density.htm Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:06:09 EDT A new type of osteoporosis drug being developed by Merck & Co. increased bone density over two years in postmenopausal women with mild osteoporosis, the company reported Tuesday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080916/new-merck-osteoporosis-drug-boosts-bone-density.htm Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:35:03 EDT Pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. said Tuesday it is considering challenging a federal appeals court's reinstatement of a dismissed shareholders' lawsuit over its former blockbuster painkiller Vioxx. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080909/court-overturns-dismissal-of-merck-vioxx-lawsuit.htm Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:56:33 EDT Biotechnology drugmaker ZymoGenetics said Wednesday it restructured its agreement with partner Merck Serono for the development of treatment for autoimmune diseases. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080903/zymogenetics-alters-drug-development-agreements.htm Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:13:29 EDT Moody's Investors Service raised Merck's outlook Monday following the drugmaker's decision to begin paying off a massive settlement with patients who used its drug Vioxx. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080825/moodys-sees-stable-outlook-for-merck.htm Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:49:28 EDT A 1999 Merck & Co. study of its since-withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, touted to participating doctors and patients as meant to show whether Vioxx caused fewer stomach problems than another drug, was primarily a stealth marketing strategy, researchers report. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080818/researchers-merck-vioxx-study-was-for-marketing.htm Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:48:09 EDT Diakron Pharmaceuticals said Wednesday it gained exclusive rights to develop, market and distribute an oral anticoagulant drug discovered by Merck & Co. Inc. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080813/diakron-gains-rights-to-drug-compound-from-merck.htm Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:00:51 EDT Drugmaker Merck & Co. Inc. spent nearly $1.2 million lobbying on pharmaceutical issues in the second quarter, according to a recent disclosure form. Merck lobbied Congress on a range of domestic and international issues affecting sales of prescription drugs, according to a form filed July 18 with the House clerk's office. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080812/merck-spent-1-2-million-on-lobbying-in-2q.htm Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:19:02 EDT A Canadian court has certified another class-action lawsuit against Merck & Co. over its former painkiller Vioxx, for which the U.S. drug maker is doling out billions of dollars to cover American settlements. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080729/merck-faces-canadian-class-action-vioxx-case.htm Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:26:32 EDT Vytorin partners Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. have prepared a letter for physicians who might be concerned over recent study results that showed patients taking the cholesterol drug were at higher risk of dying from cancer. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/merck-and-schering-plough-prepare-vytorin-letter.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:29:22 EDT Pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck KGaA said Wednesday its second-quarter profit more than doubled on strong results from all divisions of the company. The increase also reflected one-time charges in the year-ago quarter. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/germanys-merck-says-2q-profit-more-than-doubles.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:37:04 EDT Pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA said Wednesday its second quarter profit rose 143 percent on strong results from all divisions of the company. Merck said in the April through June period, net profit rose to euro207.4 million (US$325 million) from euro85.5 million in the year ago quarter on revenues that were up 6.1 percent at nearly euro2 billion (US$3.14 billion) from euro1.8 billion in the year ago quarter. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/germanys-merck-2q-profit-up.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:05:55 EDT Shares of drugmaker Merck & Co. continued to fall Tuesday, a day after the second study in six months cast doubts on the effectiveness of the blockbuster combination cholesterol pill Vytorin it sells with partner Schering-Plough Corp. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080722/merck-shares-way-down-schering-recovering.htm Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:28:29 EDT Drug developer Merck & Co. said Monday its second-quarter profit rose 5 percent as cost-cutting efforts more than offset a drop in sales of its asthma treatment Singulair and cholesterol drugs Zetia and Vytorin. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080721/merck-2q-profit-rises-on-cost-cutting.htm Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:44:35 EDT Among the stock activity stories for Monday, July 21, from AP Financial News: NEW YORK (AP)--Shares of Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. fell Monday after a large-scale study said their cholesterol drug, Vytorin, doesn't lower the risk of major heart valve problems. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080721/movers-roundup-merck-schering-charlotte-russe.htm Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:28:07 EDT