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The five key drivers of Merck growth – Vioxx, Zocor, Cozaar/Hyzaar, Fosamax and Singulair – accounted for 57 percent of Merck human health sales in 2000 – and this is just the beginning. Programs under way will extend the utility of these drugs and keep their individual franchises growing well into the future. Diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis: Merck’s clinical research group hosted a series of meetings last year for rheumatologists from around the world who are studying Vioxx for use in rheumatoid arthritis. The goals: to examine patients suffering from the disease and to agree on a common vocabulary that will enable physicians to use the same words and phrases when describing aspects of the illness.     Vioxx, our medicine for osteoarthritis and acute pain: The 8,000-patient Vioxx Gastrointestinal Outcomes Research (VIGOR) study evaluated the gastrointestinal profile of our COX-2 inhibitor compared to the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) naproxen. Patients taking Vioxx experienced 50 percent fewer serious gastrointestinal complications than those on naproxen. The Food and Drug Administration Arthritis Advisory Committee recommended in February 2001 that the study’s results as well as data on certain cardiovascular events should be included in the labeling. The FDA is not obligated to follow the advice of the Advisory Committee. We are exploring the use of Vioxx to treat rheumatoid arthritis, and whether Vioxx has a role to play in countering Alzheimer’s disease and preventing colon cancer. Click here for more.      Zocor, our cholesterol-modifying medicine: Two large studies in more than 32,000 patients are proceeding. The first, expected to be completed in 2001, seeks to determine whether Zocor plays a role in preventing first-time heart attacks and reducing mortality, especially in high-risk patient groups that have not been well studied, including women, the elderly and those with diabetes or cerebrovascular disease. The other study seeks to determine if more aggressive lowering of cholesterol levels further reduces the likelihood of heart attacks and coronary mortality. We are also studying the benefits of combining Schering-Plough’s investigational medicine ezetimibe (a cholesterol absorption inhibitor) with Zocor. Preliminary data from clinical studies suggest the combination lowers LDL cholesterol dramatically. Click here for more.      Cozaar/Hyzaar, the first of a new class of medicines called AII antagonists: We are well along in two outcome studies involving thousands of patients. These studies are designed to assess the efficacy and safety of our medicines compared to competitive drugs for a variety of indications, including people with diabetes or difficult-to-treat hypertension and with regard to reducing disabilities associated with heart attacks. Merck expects data to become available over the next two years. Click here for more.  Discovery on a shelf: Gideon Rodan, vice president of bone biology and osteoporosis research, “discovered” the compound that eventually became Fosamax on the shelf of a small Italian pharmaceutical company and helped Merck license the product. The Company developed the product into a once-weekly formulation.     Fosamax, the leading nonhormonal product for treatment and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis: This year we substantially broadened the osteoporosis market potential for Fosamax by introducing a dosage form designed to be taken once weekly rather than once daily. Strong initial sales show favorable consumer response. Merck Research Laboratories also gained regulatory approval in the United States for Fosamax as a treatment to increase bone mass in men with osteoporosis.  Click here for more.      Singulair, our medicine for asthma control: We are conducting studies to assess the efficacy and safety of Singulair given intravenously in hospital emergency rooms to help patients suffering from acute asthma attacks. A second program is well along in testing whether Singulair works for allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever. Click here for more.      How do we accomplish all this?     Merck invests heavily – $2.3 billion in 2000 and an estimated $2.8 billion in 2001 – in research and development. But dollars and size do not translate directly into research productivity. Several of our competitors spend more on R&D with fewer resulting products. Similarly, it is worth noting that one of our smaller laboratories – Merck Frosst in Canada – has been one of our most productive in recent years, being largely responsible for the discovery of two of our five top-selling products, Vioxx and Singulair. Invanz– New antibiotic for bacterial infections: Max Clermont, production operator, makes a final check of vials used to contain Invanz, Merck’s newest investigational antibiotic. Merck scientists and manufacturing engineers designed and built this state-of-the-art production unit in France. Merck developed Invanz to treat community-acquired and mixed bacterial infections. A number of these infections are becoming increasingly resistant to such widely prescribed antibiotics as penicillins, cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones.     Merck uses a broad strategy to generate the best science for every dollar invested. This strategy includes hiring and retaining the most highly trained scientists, pursuing breakthrough medicines with broad applications and forging external alliances that expand our knowledge and prospects.     We seek the best     minds science has to offer     Peter Kim, Ph.D., joined Merck as executive vice president of research and development in February 2001. A renowned structural molecular biologist, he came to Merck from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he served as associate head for the department of biology and professor of biology. His achievements include discovering how HIV fuses with human cells and thereby invades them. Dr. Kim’s expertise will assist Merck in developing novel and breakthrough approaches to drug and vaccine discovery and development.     Although Dr. Kim’s appointment attracted wide attention in the media, the other nearly 800 scientists we hired in the United States in 2000 were all from top academic or scientific institutions as were the scientists we added to our Canadian and overseas laboratories.     Because the Company believes that the mixture of ideas from different cultures and backgrounds helps make scientific teams more creative and productive, the Company also tries to lay the groundwork to encourage more minorities to enter the fields of science and engineering. For example, recognizing there are few African-Americans with Ph.D.s in chemistry and biology, one significant undertaking by The Merck Company Foundation with the UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is in its sixth year of a 10-year, $20 million commitment to fund fellowships at the undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral stages.     Once our scientists come aboard, Merck encourages them to gain international reputations as leading figures in their chosen fields. To achieve such standing, they join key organizations focused upon their scientific specialties, attend and present at relevant symposia, and regularly publish their research findings in leading journals. In 1999, for example, Merck scientists published about 700 peer-reviewed scientific papers. All of these activities help our scientists learn about the latest scientific breakthroughs and bring them to the attention of the Company. Licensing extends Merck’s research reach: Merck has stepped up the pace of licensing in new technology and compounds as we seek exciting opportunities in different therapeutic areas, particularly those in which large populations are affected and where new or better treatments are needed. Below are just a few of our key license agreements. Type of Agreement Company Description Preclinical/Clinical Development Biogen VLA-4 inhibitors – respiratory and other indications   Kyorin KRP-297 – diabetes Delivery Technologies Elan/NanoSystems Nanosystems delivery technology Basic Research Collaborations Axys Cathepsin K and L inhibitors – osteoporosis Enabling/Platform Technologies Array Bio Pharma Custom chemistry libraries   Aurora Biosciences Ultra-high throughput screening technology, functional genomics technology (GenomeScreen)   Crucell PER.C6 cell line for production of viral vectors   Double Twist Annotated human genome database   Sangamo BioSciences Universal Gene Tools technology Back to top

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