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MRK

Merck & Co Inc.

5/23/2013, 7:45 PM ET

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Thursday, May 23, 5:26 PM Merck (MRK) provides an update on its clinical trials for preladenant, an investigational compound for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. An initial review of data from three separate Phase III trials showed no evidence of efficacy when compared with placebo, therefore MRK says it will discontinue the program and no longer plans to pursue any regulatory filings. Shares -0.4% AH. Comment! [Healthcare]
Thursday, May 23, 3:11 PM Chatter says trading desks are busy with corporate buyback activity today as CFOs take advantage of a little selling to put repurchase plans into action. AAPL is the gorilla, having bumped its authorization to $60B from $10B. Others of note include: LyondellBasel (LYB), Merck (MRK) - which just entered an accelerated repurchase program, NetApp (NTAP), Northrop Grumman (NOC), Macy's (M), and Delta (DAL). There's also IBM - long with a reputation for issuing debt at lows in yield. Is their equity timing as good? 5 Comments
Wednesday, May 22, 3:17 PM An FDA panel has voted 12-4 in favor of Merck's (MRK -1.2%) insomnia drug Suvorexant, saying it helps people stay asleep. 1 Comment [Healthcare]
Tuesday, May 21, 5:50 PM Merck (MRK) says it's entered into an accelerated share repurchase agreement with Goldman Sachs to repurchase $5B worth of stock, as the company looks to alternative methods for increasing shareholder value. The company has been dealing with the loss of exclusivity for its blockbuster asthma-and-allergy treatment Singulair, leading to generic competition that wiped out much of the drug's more than $5B in peak annual sales. Shares +1% AH. Comment! [Healthcare]
Thursday, May 16, 12:55 PM Oncothyreon (ONTY -20.7%) tanks today after presenting data as ASCO that showed Phase III trials of its investigational MUC1 antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy L-BLP25 didn't meet its primary objective. The trial was conducted by Merck Serono, a division of Merck (MRK -0.7%), under a license agreement with ONTY. 3 Comments [Healthcare, On the Move]
Monday, May 6, 1:36 PM Merck (MRK -1.3%) gets no love today from the FDA's approval of Liptruxet late Friday, as the stock is likely dragged down with the rest of the big pharma names on the back of a CNBC report that criticizes their earnings so far. The article points to the fact that pharmaceutical companies have seen a 4.7% contraction in earnings, and a 3.2% drop in revenue this quarter. Why? Morningstar's Damien Cover says there are two primary reasons: FX impact, especially from the yen, and intensified generic competition from patent losses. Comment! [Healthcare, On the Move]
Monday, May 6, 12:30 PM Tesaro (TSRO -0.2%) feels a little heat today from a cautious post in Seeking Alpha. SA author Richard Pearson notes that the stock has more than doubled since its IPO debut last June, largely on enthusiasm for its still far-off cancer drug Niraparib. Over the near term however, the company is facing some significant challenges, particularly for its lead drug Rolapitant, a treatment for nausea and vomiting caused by the effects of chemotherapy. Merck's (MRK -1%) Emend is currently its largest competitor in the space, and will already be generic when Rolapitant comes to market. Comment! [Healthcare]
Friday, May 3, 4:09 PM The FDA has approved Merck's (MRK -0.2%) Liptruzet drug for treating elevated LDL cholesterol levels in patients with primary or mixed hyperlipidemia. Lipruzet combines two existing anti-cholesterol drugs, ezetimibe and atorvastatin. It'll be available to wholesalers next week. (PR) 3 Comments [Healthcare]
Friday, May 3, 10:50 AM Fitch revises its outlook to Negative from Positive on Merck's (MRK +0.3%) Issuer Default Rating (A+). Apparently, the temptation to fund share buybacks with debt given the favorable rate environment should be weighed against any potential deleterious effects from increased leverage: MRK "intends to use debt issuances … to repurchase $7.5B worth of shares over the next 12 months [but the company] has ample liquidity via cash on hand and operating cash flow … to complete the [buyback] without harm to the credit profile … the financing of the [buyback] program could drive debt leverage to a level that is not reflective of the 'A+' IDR," Fitch says. 1 Comment [Healthcare]
Wednesday, May 1, 7:15 AM More on Merck's (MRK) Q1: Earnings beat but revenue misses as patent expirations and unfavorable foreign exchange rates reduce worldwide sales by 9%. The company says it witnessed growth in vaccines, immunology, animal health, and consumer care products during the period. MRK also revises its guidance for the year, saying it now sees non-GAAP EPS of $3.45-3.55. Analysts expect $3.63. Shares -1% premarket. (PR) 1 Comment [Healthcare]
Wednesday, May 1, 7:01 AM Merck (MRK): Q1 EPS of $0.85 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $10.67B misses by $0.42B. (PR) Comment! [Earnings, Breaking News, Healthcare]
Wednesday, May 1, 12:05 AM Notable earnings before Wednesday’ s open: AB, ADT, AFAM, AFSI, AGN, AH, AMT, ARW, AVA, CCJ, CHK, CLH, CLX, CMCSA, CVH, CVS, DLPH, DVN, ENR, EXAS, EXC,GRMN, GWR, H, HSP, HUM, ICE, IPGP, IQNT, IRM, JRCC, KCG, KFN, MA, MKL, MRK, NVO, PDCE, PKD, POR, PSX, RDC, RDN, SEE, SPW, TLM, TWX, VG, VIAB, VPHM Comment! [Earnings]
Tuesday, April 30, 5:30 PM Notable earnings before Wednesday’ s open: AB, ADT, AFAM, AFSI, AGN, AH, AMT, ARW, AVA, CCJ, CHK, CLH, CLX, CMCSA, CVH, CVS, DLPH, DVN, ENR, EXAS, EXC,GRMN, GWR, H, HSP, HUM, ICE, IPGP, IQNT, IRM, JRCC, KCG, KFN, MA, MKL, MRK, NVO, PDCE, PKD, POR, PSX, RDC, RDN, SEE, SPW, TLM, TWX, VG, VIAB, VPHM Comment! [Earnings]
Monday, April 29, 7:55 AM Merck (MRK) and Pfizer (PFE) enter into a 60/40 worldwide agreement to jointly develop and commercialize PFE's type 2 diabetes treatment ertugliflozin which should enter Phase III trials later this year. As part of the deal, PFE received $60M upfront and may receive additional payments in the future. (PR) 3 Comments [Healthcare]
Saturday, April 27, 10:53 PM Combining Gilead's (GILD) sofosbuvir and Bristol-Myers Squibb's (BMY) daclatasvir cures 100% of hepatitis C patients in 12 weeks (including those who failed treatment with Vertex's (VRTX) Incivek and Merck's (MRK) Victrelis) and looks to be a better treatment option for those with genotype 3 than a combo of sofosbuvir and another GILD drug ledipasvir. The problem: "GILD very clearly wants to develop in-house," one clinician tells Bloomberg. (See also: ABBV's HCV treatment successful; VRTX teams with BMY on HCV trial) 5 Comments [Healthcare]
Monday, April 22, 10:02 AM Merck (MRK -0.1%-) gives back an early pre-market gain after announcing that it's entered into a non-exclusive agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) to conduct Phase II clinical trials to evaluate a combination of investigational oral candidates MK-5172 and Daclatasvir for the treatment of chronic Hepatitis C. Under the terms of the agreement, MRK will conduct only the Phase II clinical trial, with further clinical development activities beyond the Phase II studies not covered under the agreement.. Comment! [Healthcare]

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