Congratulation Roger and Ken!

That's what Merck is now. A real estate and law firm. Buy a firm that bought a firm that had some good products. Rush it to market, and then spend the next 10 years of profits lawyering against the patent infringement lawsuits and wrongful death lawsuits. The Vioxx kid will be very busy.

 

Thats the beauty of cancer drugs - patient is already VERY sick - very unpredictable if the drug will work or not, patients are more than willing to take the risk - very doubtful any lawsuits will come if things don't work out.

 

I see Merck had to but SP to get this drug. Time will tell if Merck ever recoups their investment.

 

Kinda like Obama taking credit for ending the war in Iraq. Oh...wait.

 

Ask yourself if any of the scientists (legacy Organon/SP or Merck) who invented PD-1 are still at Merck. It's easy to check.

The unwavering commitment is to reduce headcount.

 

If only. The PD-1 program at legacy SP was below the cut line, not on the radar at all. (It was killed and brought back multiple times.) Fortunately, the SP folks had managed to bank a lot of PD-1 mAb in the freezer before it was killed again, so we were able to restart relatively quickly.

 

But not before BMS got the patent on it. Merck lost the EU patent fight on it and Friday BMS filed suit in the U.S. BMS noted in their filing that Merck knew they did not have the patent rights because they had lost in the EU on the exact same issue. BMS will seek to block Merck from manufacturing the drug and, if the lawsuit goes forward (i.e. no settlement) BMS will use the fact that Merck forged ahead after losing the EU case to demonstrate 'willfullness'. Why does that matter? Oh, because if they can prove it (looks like an easy task) the damages amount TRIPLES under law from any jury award.

This has 'reverse merger' written all over it. Remember that? When the legal eagles of Merck thought they had come up with a way to buy Schering and screw J&J out of Remicaide? Instead Merck paid a premium for Schering and then had to BUY the rights from J&J. The best lawyers money can buy!

 

Hey Kenny.....payback's a bitch, ain't it?

 

Then he will have to split his time between Bristol and Penn State. LOL.

 

Then he will have to split his time between Bristol and Penn State. LOL.

 

Not sure commercial side is up to task of making this happen.

 

Re: Congratulation Roger and Ken!?

Mr. Subliminal here-
"Keytruda embodies <management's> un<abashed> commitment to pursue <breakneck speed and profit margins at everyone else's expense> to help <us> who are <nosing up> the <ass of Wall Street>.

 

One distinction:
Roger knows how to develop drugs and is making changes.
Ken is making changes but does not know how to develop a company.

I wonder what the random initiative generator will spit out and the flavor of the year for 2015.

 

Roger ran Amgen into the ground. He and Paul Reider.