Just before Biogen Idec announced it was out of the merger business, for the present, Merck's CEO was telling the Wall Street Journal that it had no interest [1] in buying the biotech company. What it would like to buy, said CEO Richard Clark (photo [2]), is a biotech company with about $2 billion to $5 billion in sales and a pipeline in sync with Merck's research interests. Hmm. And by the way, he added, Merck has no beef with the FDA. Even as others [3] see the agency tightening up [4] after the Vioxx debacle, Merck has counted seven approvals in the past two years. "It's difficult to say that the FDA has changed their approach."
- check out the report [5] from the Wall Street Journal
ALSO: Merck recalled more than a million doses of Hib vaccine, shots given to kids under five to prevent hepatitis, pneumonia, and other infections. Report [6]
Related Articles:
Merck presents pipeline update to analysts. Report [7]
Merck, GTx ink $477M deal. Report [8]
Merck faces fierce debate on OTC statin. Report [9]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/big-pharma-souring-biogen-deal/2007-11-14
[2] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/merck-ceo-richard-clark/2006-11-12
[3] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/industry-exec-says-fda-approval-process-too-strict/2007-08-01
[4] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/new-drug-approval-lags-2007/2007-11-02?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss
[5] http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2007/12/12/merck-ceo-defends-fda-and-disses-big-deals/
[6] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/merck-recalls-hib-shots-causing-shortage/2007-12-13
[7] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/merck-presents-pipeline-update-analysts/2007-12-12
[8] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/merck-gtx-ink-477m-deal/2007-11-06
[9] http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/merck-faces-fierce-debate-otc-statin/2007-12-10