Merck Continues To Disappoint As Weakness In Januvia Sales Adds To Its Woes

Merck's (MRK) shares fell slightly on weak Q3 2013 earnings. The company's revenue growth is under severe pressure due to the continued impact of the loss of patent exclusivity of certain key drugs, adverse currency movements and the weakness in diabetes drug sales in the U.S.

 The R&D (research and development) productivity has declined over the years, and the strategy of developing drugs for major diseases is not working. The landscape of the global pharmaceutical industry is shifting toward more niche, innovative and genetically targeted medicines and Merck needs to adapt. read more.

Merck & Co Inc (MRK) Issues FY13 Earnings Guidance

Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK) updated its FY13 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of $3.45-3.55 for the period, compared to the Thomson Reuters consensus EPS estimate of $3.48, AnalystRatingsNetwork.com reports.
Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Analysts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co (NYSE:MRK) to $54.00 in a research note to investors on Tuesday. Finally, analysts at TheStreet reiterated a buy rating on shares of Merck & Co (NYSE:MRK) in a research note to investors on Thursday, September 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $51.23.Read More:

Merck & Co., Inc (NYSE:MRK) Eliminates 8,500 Employees To Flourish R&D

Merck & Co., Inc (NYSE:MRK), the second largest U.S. drug-maker by sales, will eliminate 8,500 employees from its workforce and refurbish its research and development after U.S. regulators delayed new medicines.
The Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based company said in a statement today that the eliminated positions are in addition to already announced 7,500 employee layoffs. It is accounted for 20 percent of company’s total workforce. The company refused to provide details about where the layoffs will occur, and only said that the eliminations would come from all areas of Merck, including R&D, sales and management. Read More:

Does Merck & Co., Inc (NYSE:MRK) Have A Strong Drug Portfolio?

Merck & Co., Inc (NYSE:MRK) is the manufacturer of OXYTROL FOR WOMEN. Last week, the company announced that over 20M women who suffer from OSB or overactive bladder can now be benefited with the use of this patch and will be able to gain better control of the condition.

The first of its kind

This patch has to be applied on certain parts of the body every 4 days and has proved to be very effective in treating overactive bladder conditions. This is the one and only OTC option that can be used to treat OAB symptoms such as frequency, urgency or incontinence. These conditions may not seem like severe ones but can affect the emotional and physical condition of women very badly.  OAB is of the Top-10 conditions that affect women in America and has an adverse effect on their lives. Read More