16,000 employees to cut.

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I would say that this number is wildly inaccurate. Having said that the current restructuring plan that was announced in 2008 IS to continue until 2011. That plan details elimination of 7,200 (6,800 active 400 vacancies) by 2011, 40% coming from the US. Merck has over 55,000 employees worlwide. This number is, I believe, unaffected by the recent SP terminations. I suppose that the number could be revised but this was the orginal restructuring plan. I think it would be a fair question to ask mangement were they are in the numbers. Some huge buisness liabilty milestones on the books are: patent expiration of Coz./Hyz. this year @3.5 billion and patent expiration of Singulair (4.3 billion) in 2012. No other merck products even come close to these revenues. Though there are a number of limited application products in the pipeline, Mercks reputation and recent approval history with the FDA is not the greatest. 20 new drugs were approved last year-none by merck, and we all know the large number of compounds nixed. merck hopes that the acqusition of SP will bolster it's pipeline. There is still a considerable legal liability to overcome as well. There are well over 700 plantiff cases (not including investor cases) steming from vioxx and though some recent rulings have gone merck's way who knows? There is also significant liabilties from Vytorin/Zetia investors based on ENHANCE and SEAS. The pivitol year will be, I believe 2012 when merck loses singulair. I don't see anything that will posibly replace over 4.3 billion and if merck doesn't start getting something out between now and then it will continue to see itself on the margins. It's always best to take the upper management corporate hack speeches (Gecko's speech IS relevant) with a large grain of salt and do your own reading as an employee or investor. Start with your stockholders report or the SEC form 10-k (merck.com/finance/proxy). good luck and happy hunting.
 












Operations groups world-wide are all assessed with 25% reduction in costs through 2012. 10% cuts in costs through 2010. The only means to really achieve this will be with not less than 35-40% cut in employment costs by end 2012. This means preferentially cutting higher-paid employees along with making serious cuts into 17,500 ops employee base. This means not fewer than 2000 heads in 2010 from the global ops count - not counting heads from those operations that will just close outright over the next 30 months. Employees will have a difficult time seeing what is in it for them. What's in it for them is just that - a difficult time. The pain will come in waves and may not always make real sense. The intent is that it appears to make cents.
 






unless something BIG comes out of MRL in, say the next 18 months- look for cuts to continue and a long slow decline of what was once the best company in pharma. merck-mired in-mediocrity. stock hasn't been above 38 in over two years. so if you like just going through the motions in your sales career, flying under the rader, not doing anything really very important and sitting by the phone once or twice a year to see if your your marginal position is retained well...merck is for you!
 






Anonymous said:
unless something BIG comes out of MRL in, say the next 18 months- look for cuts to continue and a long slow decline of what was once the best company in pharma. merck-mired in-mediocrity. stock hasn't been above 38 in over two years. so if you like just going through the motions in your sales career, flying under the rader, not doing anything really very important and sitting by the phone once or twice a year to see if your your marginal position is retained well...merck is for you!
Click to expand...

Good observation. Schmerk is definately NOT for me, I'm gone, I'm FREE!
And making more than ever with my own time in the evenings...
 






Anonymous said:
unless something BIG comes out of MRL in, say the next 18 months- look for cuts to continue and a long slow decline of what was once the best company in pharma. merck-mired in-mediocrity. stock hasn't been above 38 in over two years. so if you like just going through the motions in your sales career, flying under the rader, not doing anything really very important and sitting by the phone once or twice a year to see if your your marginal position is retained well...merck is for you!
Click to expand...

well said and so true..no one can afford to be too impressed with themselves and luck of the draw more than any kind of competency will dictate who stays and who goes..in this tough job economy people are staying ...but if the tables should ever turn...people will be looking to leave!
 






relax. There's nothing to worry about. Just do your job and you'll be fine.

Profits are up, we have a great pipeline (now that we own S/P's) and we have all that money coming in from animal health.
 






Anonymous said:
unless something BIG comes out of MRL in, say the next 18 months- look for cuts to continue and a long slow decline of what was once the best company in pharma. merck-mired in-mediocrity. stock hasn't been above 38 in over two years. so if you like just going through the motions in your sales career, flying under the rader, not doing anything really very important and sitting by the phone once or twice a year to see if your your marginal position is retained well...merck is for you!
Click to expand...

Yes. MRL is in the cross-hairs. Externalizing R&D is not complete.
 
























Here's some solid facts:

1) I bring significant scientific cuttting edge information to all my doctors.
2) My docs are always telling me how impressed they are with my product knowledge.
3) I will stay after their office hours to spend time with my key targets.
4) All my doctors are free to call me or text me any time of the day or night if they have a question.

Among other factors this is why I'm confident of keeping my job until the last rep standing. Knowing this I sleep soundly every night without any chemical assistance.
 












." merck has already rightsized previously so were all fine. i just don't feel like onboarding some loser winer and diner from sanofi or gsk. two pathetic excuses of companies that got luck with some ok winners - except for sanofi."

"go merck! we are one!!"



"Go Merck - we are done!"


If you think we are done I have some ocean front property in arizona...we have already been told more restructuring in 2012. What a dumbass you are!


"I meant "done" as in "stick a fork in us - we are done"

NOT done as in done with lay offs.

Look at all the other companies, all laying off, both field and home office workers, its a continuing process.(Novartis, GSK, Sanofi,etc) With no new drugs - other than "me toos" which will never impact the bottom line in today's environment, this industry in general, and Merck in particular, will just continue to shrink, contract and reorganize.

Face it, there are very few "unmet" medical needs where a drug will really make a huge difference and thus become a blockbuster. Good generics are here to stay and will rule the RX drug business going forward.

Enjoy the employment while you still have it, and keep a sharp eye out for the next industry to move into. Develop a real skill set - not catering, sig. gathering, or pt ed handout/sample delivery.

The end is near, folks."

Copy/pastae from another thread, worth repeating.
 












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