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News Breaks
November 9, 2009
15:30 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck asks U.S. Patent Office to reconsider Singulair rejection, DJ reports
Merck asks U.S. Patent Office to reconsider Singulair patent rejection, Dow Jones reports. :theflyonthewall.com



News For MRK From The Last 14 Days
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February 10, 2012
16:09 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Watson Pharmaceuticals confirms Beyaz patent challenge
Watson Pharmaceuticals (WPI) confirmed that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application with the U.S. Food and Drug FDA seeking approval to market Drospirenone and Ethinyl Estradiol and Levomefolate Calcium Tablets, 3.0 mg/0.02 mg/0.451 mg and Levomefolate Calcium Tablets, 0.451 mg. Watson's ANDA product is a generic version of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals' (BAYRY) Beyaz. Beyaz is an oral contraceptive indicated for use by women to prevent pregnancy, treat symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder for women who choose to use an oral contraceptive for contraception, treat moderate acne for women at least 14 years old only if the patient desires an oral contraceptive for birth control, and raise folate levels in women who choose to use an oral contraceptive for contraception. :theflyonthewall.com
07:10 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: FDA outlines plan for biotech drug copies, WSJ reports

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February 7, 2012
08:31 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck announces top-line results of TRA-2P study of Vorapaxar

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February 6, 2012
08:47 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck plans to file NDA for suvorexant with FDA in 2012 following trials

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February 3, 2012
16:18 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: DepoMed receives $10M upon signing license agreement with Merck
Depomed (DEPO) announced that Merck (MRK) disclosed that the FDA approved Janumet XR tablets, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes that combines sitagliptin. Depomed has provided Merck a license to certain of Depomed's patents directed to metformin extended release technology for Janumet XR pursuant to the terms of the license agreement signed with Merck in 2009. Depomed received $10M upon signing the license agreement and $2.5M upon Merck's filing of the Janumet XR New Drug Application with the FDA. Depomed will receive modest, single-digit royalties on net product sales of Janumet XR through the expiration date of the licensed patents. :theflyonthewall.com
16:14 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: On The Fly: Closing Wrap
Stock futures were positive ahead of the non-farm payrolls report, but shot higher when the data was much stronger than expected. The unemployment rate dropped to 8.3% from 8.5% and the buyers were off to the races. The market opened sharply higher with the Dow reaching a level that was double its value from its lowest point in 2009, and the Nasdaq hitting its highest point in 11 years. The averages were strong throughout the day but they moved in a fairly narrow range for most of the session. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., non-farm payrolls grew by 243K jobs last month, which was above expectations for growth of 140K jobs. The additions, as well as people dropping out of the workforce, lowered the unemployment rate to 8.3% from 8.5%. The ISM non-manufacturing index came in at 56.8, higher than the consensus of 53.2. Factory orders for the month of December increased 1.1%, versus the expected rise of 1.5%. MAJOR MOVERS: Among the biggest gainers were Threshold Pharmaceuticals (THLD) which soared 127% to $2.93 after Merck (MRK) offered to pay $525M for the right to jointly develop a cancer drug, and Zoltek Cos. (ZOLT) which rallied 39% to $13.16 after sharply beating Q1 EPS estimates. The losers included PC Connection (PCCC) which tumbled 19% to $10.26 after widely missing Q4 PES estimates, and Smart Technologies (SMT) which fell 12% to $3.64 after cutting its full-year forecast. INDICES: The Dow rose 156.82 to 12,862.23, the S&P gained 19.36 to 1,344.90, and the Nasdaq added 45.98 to 2,905.66. :theflyonthewall.com
10:31 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: On The Fly: Analyst Downgrade Summary
Today's noteworthy downgrades include: Research in Motion (RIMM) downgraded to Underperform from Hold at Jefferies...Cablevision (CVC) downgraded to Underweight from Neutral at JP Morgan...Edwards Lifesciences (EW) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Wells Fargo...Rofin-Sinar (RSTI) downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at Piper Jaffray...Kforce (KFRC) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank...Airgas (ARG) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman...Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman...Aetna (AET) downgraded to Buy from Conviction Buy at Goldman...Amerigroup (AGP) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman...ONEOK (OKE) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup...Acme Packet (APKT) downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at Mizuho...RadioShack (RSH) downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley...Brocade (BRCD) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at JMP Securities...Merck (MRK) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Davenport...CarMax (KMX) downgraded to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital...International Paper (IP) downgraded to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital...Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Macquarie...Rowan Companies (RDC) downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Macquarie. :theflyonthewall.com
08:48 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck downgraded to Neutral from Buy at MKM Partners

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06:48 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Davenport

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05:41 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Threshold Pharma and Merck KGaA announce global agreement for TH-302
Threshold Pharmaceuticals announced that a global agreement was signed with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, to co-develop and commercialize TH-302, Threshold's small molecule hypoxia-targeted drug. TH-302 is currently being investigated in a global Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with soft tissue sarcoma, a randomized Phase 2 trial in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer from which top-line results are expected in February, as well as additional clinical studies in other solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Merck will receive co-development rights, exclusive global commercialization rights and will provide Threshold an option to co-commercialize the therapeutic in the U.S. In exchange, Threshold will receive an upfront payment of $25M and could receive up to $35M in additional development milestones during 2012. Threshold is also eligible to receive a $20M milestone payment based on positive results from its randomized Phase 2 trial in pancreatic cancer. Total potential milestone payments are $525M, comprised of $280M in regulatory and development milestones and $245M in sales-based milestones. In the U.S., Threshold will have primary responsibility for development of TH-302 in the soft tissue sarcoma indication. Threshold and Merck KGaA will jointly develop TH-302 in all other cancer indications being pursued. Merck KGaA will pay 70% of worldwide development costs for TH-302. :theflyonthewall.com

February 2, 2012
16:50 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: On The Fly: Closing Wrap

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14:45 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck receives FDA approval for Janumet XR
Merck announced that the FDA approved Janumet XR tablets, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes that combines sitagliptin, which is the active component of Januvia, with extended-release metformin. Janumet XR provides a convenient once-daily treatment option for healthcare providers and patients who need help to control their blood sugar. :theflyonthewall.com
12:18 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: On The Fly: Mid-Day Wrap

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10:02 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck is down after results and guidance, support is now at $37.89, $37.49

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07:07 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck reports Q4 Pharmaceutical sales $10.76B

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07:05 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck sees FY12 adjusted EPS $3.75-$3.85 vs. consensus $3.83

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07:03 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck reports Q4 revenue $12.3B vs. consensus $12.53B

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07:02 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck reports Q4 EPS 97c ex-items vs. consensus 95c

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February 1, 2012
14:53 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Companies reporting Before the Market Open on Thursday, February 2
Notable companies reporting before the opening bell include Allergan (AGN), Boston Scientific (BSX), Cameron International (CAM), Cardinal Health (CAH), Cigna (CI), CME (CME), Dow Chemical (DOW), Goodrich (GR), International Paper (IP), Kellogg (K), Mastercard (MA), Merck (MRK), Roper Industries (ROP), Ryder System (R), Sara Lee (SLE), Spectra Energy (SE), Starwood Hotels (HOT), and TECO Energy (TE). :theflyonthewall.com
10:57 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Earnings Preview: Merck trading higher ahead of Q4 earnings
Merck (MRK) is expected to report Q4 earnings before the market open on Thursday, February 2 with a conference call scheduled for 8:00 am ET. Analysts are looking for EPS of 95c on revenue of $12.53B. The consensus range is 93c-97c for EPS, and $12.19B-$12.89B for revenue, according to First Call. After reporting better-than-expected EPS and revenue in Q3, the company gave a forecast of FY11 EPS $3.72-$3.76 vs. consensus $3.76 and saw FY11 revenue growth in the mid-single digit percentage range vs. consensus $48.23B. In the previous quarter, the company announced Singulair revenue $1.45B, Januvia revenue $864M, Animal Health revenue $826M, and Consumer Care revenue $421M. Investors will be looking for growth in these markets as well as updates on the company's strategy to pursue new drugs and invest in research. They will also be looking to hear how American and European efforts to curb health spending is impacting Merck. In the past quarter, the company announced encouraging results for Victrelis, but negative results from its Tracer study. It did, however, receive FDA approval for its updated Vytorin label. Merck was initiated with a Buy at MKM Partners and at ISI Group, and was downgraded to Hold at Jeffries. :theflyonthewall.com
08:00 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Medical device makers propose doubling of FDA fees, Bloomberg reports

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January 31, 2012
18:26 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Novartis unit loses patent ruling over Merck anti-fungal drug, Bloomberg says

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11:20 EDTMRK
theflyonthewall.com: Merck volatility low into Q4 results and outlook
Merck February and April put option implied volatility of 20 is below its 26-week average of 25 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement into the expected release of Q4 results on February 2. :theflyonthewall.com