Merck Annual Report 2000

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Leading in Innovation Merck excels at translating cutting-edge science into breakthrough medicines

Breakthrough medicines form a cornerstone of our Strategy for Growth:
Michael Murphy, Ph.D., of microbiology and bioinformetrics at Merck Research Laboratories in San Diego, Calif. (formerly SIBIA Neurosciences), employs bioluminescence technology in the search for molecules displaying biological activity. Merck acquired SIBIA in 1999 to complement our existing research efforts in neurology.

Never has there been a more productive period in the history of Merck research. We have eight drug programs and vaccines in the late stages of development and a number of compounds with new mechanisms of action that offer great potential. All of this comes on the heels of the record- breaking 16 new medicines we have launched since 1995. No wonder many experts consider Merck Research Laboratories to be the most powerful scientific engine in the pharmaceutical industry.

    Coming in 2001
    The new year is off to a strong start with the February launch of Cancidas, the first of a new class of drugs to combat deadly fungal infections.
    We filed a New Drug Application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Nov. 30, 2000, for Invanz, our once-daily intravenous antibiotic for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections, urinary tract infections, community-acquired pneumonia and other infections.
    We plan to file a New Drug Application later this year with the FDA for etoricoxib, the most selective COX-2 inhibitor (the same family as Vioxx) known to be in development, seeking approval for the treatment of acute pain and/or rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

    Looking at our pipeline

Diversity helps boost creativity:
Bakela Nare, Ph.D., research fellow, serves on the diversity committee that identifies and helps recruit minority scientists. Click here for more.

    Well along in development are programs for new approaches to treating depression and alleviating the nausea often associated with chemotherapy. We also are pleased with the progress of studies designed to add new indications for several of our major medicines, most notably Vioxx, Zocor, Cozaar/Hyzaar, Fosamax and Singulair.
    In the vaccine arena, we are conducting large studies for the prevention of herpes zoster (the cause of shingles) in older adults; rotavirus-induced diarrhea and dehydration in young children; and human papillomavirus infection in women, the cause of most cases of genital warts and cervical cancer. Our scientists published some exciting work with an experimental HIV vaccine in rhesus monkeys late last year, and we have since begun early human trials.
    Looking further down the road, the prospects have never been so exciting or challenging. Medical science is evolving faster than ever thanks to important advances in molecular biology and technology. Merck scientists have placed the Company on the cutting edge of such new sciences as genomics, proteomics and pharmacogenomics by both internal and external investments that will help keep Merck successful and competitive in the years to come.

Pain research in the United Kingdom: Scientists at Merck Research Laboratories Neuroscience Research Center in Terlings Park, U.K., seek to determine how certain pathways in the brain relate to the perception of pain and nervous system disorders. Chemist Christopher Thomson is one of the group of researchers who discovered and developed a host of experimental compounds known as substance P antagonists, now under study for depression and chemotherapy-induced emesis (vomiting).

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