Merck, Schering-Plough Form Drug Partnership
Updated from 12:15 p.m. EDT
Two of the largest pharmaceutical makers in the world,
Merck
(MRK) - Get Report
and
Schering-Plough
(SGP)
, said Tuesday they would join forces to develop and market new cholesterol and asthma medicines involving some of their top drugs.
One partnership will focus on a once-daily cholesterol therapy that combines Merck's Zocor, the number one-selling statin -- or cholesterol drug -- in the world, with Schering-Plough's experimental cholesterol agent ezetimibe. A second partnership will focus on a once-daily hay fever and asthma treatment that combines Schering-Plough's top-selling allergy and cold medicine Claritin, with Merck's asthma medicine Singulair.
The two partnerships will be equally owned and managed by Merck, based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., and Schering-Plough, based in Madison, N.J.
"Merck and Schering-Plough have formed these agreements to bring new and better medicines to patients faster and more efficiently," said Richard Jay Kogan, chairman and chief executive of Schering-Plough, in a statement. "Given their potential and the size of the markets in which they would compete, we believe these products will be major contributors to future sales and earnings growth for Schering-Plough."
The cholesterol management market posted total U.S. sales of $5.9 billion in 1999, with growth of 25%. Meanwhile, the U.S. allergy market grew 17% in 1999, recording $4.9 billion in sales.
The news comes against the backdrop of rapid consolidation in the pharmaceutical industry. Last December,
Aventis
(AVE)
emerged from the union of
Rhone-Poulenc
and
Hoechst
. In April,
Pharmacia & Upjohn
completed its merger of
Monsanto
and renamed itself
Pharmacia
(PHA)
.
Imminent are the mergers of
Pfizer
(PFE) - Get Report
with
Warner-Lambert
(WLA)
and
Glaxo Wellcome
(GLX)
with
SmithKline Beecham
(SBH) - Get Report
.
Shares of Merck rose 15/16, or 1%, to 73 1/4 in midday Tuesday trading, while shares of Schering-Plough rose 1 9/16, or 4%, to 45 3/8. (Merck closed up 1 1/2, or 2%, at 73 13/16, while Schering-Plough closed up 1 11/16, or 4%, at 45 1/2.)
