$37.31
0.54 (+1.47%)
Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK)
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A global research-driven pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a range of innovative products to improve human and animal health.
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Merck is well positioned to become the industry leader over the next 5 years. The product pipeline has swelled under the leadership of Dr. Peter Kim. Innovations in vaccines are focusing on prevention not just cures. Cost savings efforts as well as focus on speed are continuous. Merck wants to be the winner again among big pharma. Merck is a highly ethical company and is working to remove any past taint from individual actions. Employee morale is increasing and the pride is returning in the post-Vioxx era under the leadership of Richard Clark. Key acquisitions such as siRNA (ex-Sirna Therapeutics) may provide the platform for current non-druggable targets.
Disclosure: I do work for Merck.
I share your bullish view. What are "non-druggable targets"? Never heard this term.
RNA inhibition attempts to alter the expression of genes rather than biochemical pathways. Check out ISIS
I should have said traditionally non-druggable using small molecule drugs. There is a universe of gene targets for which small molecules cannot work. The RNAi mechanism can access many more gene targets. Therefore, anyone with RNAi technology to design drugs for these are the only companies which can reach these targets. Relatively few companies such as MRK will be able to reach these in the next 10 years.MRK may be hurting a bit from recent events but will have sustainable earnings in this economic downturn.
Merck's acquisition of Sirna gives me confidence that this company is pushing in the right direction. My partner is getting her PhD at Umass in Molecular Genetics, and is focused on RNA interference. Craig Mello, who was awarded the Nobel along with another scientist for their work in RNAi, has his lab here - the school is a hotbed of research activity in this field. Its potential is astonishing, and safe marketable drugs are certainly in the future, but from my understanding significant breakthroughs toward cures for diseases like cystic fibrosis, et al. are still several years away at least (biotechmgr's decade-long timeline generally matches what I've been hearing). The stock seems undervalued right now, considering the roots it has spread in this direction, especially as a long term investment. I don't own any stock in this or any biotech or pharma companies.