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MRL

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Anonymous said:
Merck has never seriously done proper cost cutting. They have only cut from the bottom. I work at an MRL site where everyone is a "manager" and no one is doing any lab work. It's going to be very difficult to discover any drugs with nobody doing any lab work.
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Guess their looking to buy some new molecules....duhhhhh.
 




Anonymous said:
"We have to get leaner at MRL. We need to be thinking further into the future and banking on that. Research is critical to our success but we need to cut costs further. Outsourcing is a great way to cut costs but we do need subject matter experts guiding that research."
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You need experienced hard-working (old-fashioned with respect to attitude?) scientists period. If you outsource, they will make Merck a smart customer. If you do R&D internally, they need to be there to set examples for and to educate the new talent in the particular world that is pharmaceutical drug discovery and development. SInce Merck seems to have systematically eliminated that layer of its society, and it has systematically "pasture-ized" those scientists that spent all their time working rather than politic-ing, it is fundamental impoverished in this area. In-source or out-source, it will struggle. Merck will need to roll the dice with acquisition to hope to survive. I understand it now wants to move its headquarters to Atlantic City in order to be closer to its new Subject Matter Experts.
 




MRL went the wrong direction years ago. First off, PK has been an unwavering disaster. He has no idea how research is done and points to his one success story of Januvia as Merck's crowning achievement. The fact of the matter is that molecule came from hard work and perseverance. Not the managers. It is also a lightning in a bottle situation that may not happen again in the pharma industry. You simply cannot expect drug discovery to work this way for every disease area. Secondly,they started BRGOS and got rid of many of the talented people in their labs. They really only kept mostly incompetent managers and younger folks. From here, a year or so later they realized they screwed up and wanted to hire people back. Instead, the merger happened and by implementing these new org designs they are simply trying to patch up the real problems. You have a ton of guys sitting around as "people" managers doing nothing but pushing paperwork.
 




Quick update: 30, 000 people will be let go by the end of this year, including from MRL. Operations Phase 1 will let go at least 50% and half of those let go will be hired back as contractors thru one of Merck's preferred vendors. Later phase clinical operations (Phase II and III) will let go of about 70% and 30% will be back as contractors. Labs will be cut and will not be hired back as contractors. Merck is looking to license in compounds and is working with Roche diagnostics to develop companion diagnostics for onocology which will be the main focus.
 




Anonymous said:
Quick update: 30, 000 people will be let go by the end of this year, including from MRL. Operations Phase 1 will let go at least 50% and half of those let go will be hired back as contractors thru one of Merck's preferred vendors. Later phase clinical operations (Phase II and III) will let go of about 70% and 30% will be back as contractors. Labs will be cut and will not be hired back as contractors. Merck is looking to license in compounds and is working with Roche diagnostics to develop companion diagnostics for onocology which will be the main focus.
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"WHEN the announcement will come"??
 




Anonymous said:
"WHEN the announcement will come"??
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Merck announcing layoffs will be a permanently re-occurring event. The future will hold layoffs in all US-based areas of the business until the day comes when there is no Merck. So for sure, this year holds more announcements but they will not look at all like the one written in this string. They will be the 1-5% here, 1-5% there. Not 30% here, 30% there with hire-back as contractors. If Merck cannot motivate performance with full pay, how can they show people the door, hire them back at less, and expect equal or better performance? The problem is with Merck and how they run business and flip-flop on strategy. 95% of the workers are worth their pay.
 




Anonymous said:
Merck announcing layoffs will be a permanently re-occurring event. The future will hold layoffs in all US-based areas of the business until the day comes when there is no Merck. So for sure, this year holds more announcements but they will not look at all like the one written in this string. They will be the 1-5% here, 1-5% there. Not 30% here, 30% there with hire-back as contractors. If Merck cannot motivate performance with full pay, how can they show people the door, hire them back at less, and expect equal or better performance? The problem is with Merck and how they run business and flip-flop on strategy. 95% of the workers are worth their pay.
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Layoffs have already started, and as the previous poster noted, small chunks here and there. I have seen empty cubes this week, where someone was there one day, gone the next.
 




Anonymous said:
Merck announcing layoffs will be a permanently re-occurring event. The future will hold layoffs in all US-based areas of the business until the day comes when there is no Merck. So for sure, this year holds more announcements but they will not look at all like the one written in this string. They will be the 1-5% here, 1-5% there. Not 30% here, 30% there with hire-back as contractors. If Merck cannot motivate performance with full pay, how can they show people the door, hire them back at less, and expect equal or better performance? The problem is with Merck and how they run business and flip-flop on strategy. 95% of the workers are worth their pay.
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Layoffs have already started, and as the previous poster noted, small chunks here and there. I have seen empty cubes this week, where someone was there one day, gone the next.
 
















PA folks have gotten 60 days notice as well - even if it isn't mandated by law. Some are asked to stay for a while - 1-3 weeks, then asked to stay home. Official separation day is 60 days after notification at which point the package kicks in based on level and years service.
 




Any word on layoffs in MRL? Rumor mill is cranking out all kinds of stuff. Hearing wide range of stuff. Small cuts this year with the goal of outsourcing all of R&D over the next few years. Sad that this was once one of the most admired science companies in the world. Now the goal is to ship everything overseas.
 




Ship the whole goddam company overseas. Start with WH. Those fools can be outsourced in the blink of an eye. After all, how much talent does it take to ruin a company as quickly as these clowns have. And ruined it is. It ain't coming back. Having it around to make some spin off the glorious past or to suggest any return to great times is just another case of selling off label. Ship it and start today.
 




I don't think any big layoffs will occur until 2012, when Singulair goes off patent.

Pfizer is seeing major layoffs this year because of Lipitor going off patent in 2011.

Pharma management are like sheep. They copy what the other guy did.
 




Anonymous said:
I don't think any big layoffs will occur until 2012, when Singulair goes off patent.

Pfizer is seeing major layoffs this year because of Lipitor going off patent in 2011.

Pharma management are like sheep. They copy what the other guy did.
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I think you can take a 2011/early 2012, 10% headcount reduction in MRL to the bank ...
 




MRL as well as the entire company in the US is forcasted to reduce by 25 to 30 % reduction of people. Singular off patient issues and issues with the high does simastatin products with the FDA. Everything will go over seas.., the previous thread is correct.
These custs will also continue into 2013 and 2014 it just will not be communicated to us as employees you will just see people go. However Ken Frazier did say we had to become smaller and we would not look the same. So it has been said. People can also rasie their hand s and leave now it they choose and get a package. Here are the signs..
 




Anonymous said:
MRL as well as the entire company in the US is forcasted to reduce by 25 to 30 % reduction of people. Singular off patient issues and issues with the high does simastatin products with the FDA. Everything will go over seas.., the previous thread is correct.
These custs will also continue into 2013 and 2014 it just will not be communicated to us as employees you will just see people go. However Ken Frazier did say we had to become smaller and we would not look the same. So it has been said. People can also rasie their hand s and leave now it they choose and get a package. Here are the signs..
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While I generally agree, I'm curious - forecasted by whom, where...?
 




I have never logged on here before today, but most of you sound very sour. I have been in the pharmaceutical business for 35 years and have never been around such negativity. You remind me of progressive democrats who have no clue where capital comes from. First of all, if it weren't for the field sales force selling the products in our bag you guys wouldn't have a job. What's changing our industry is the whole progressive movement toward socialized medical care. The pharmaceutical industry has long been the goose that lays the golden egg. Free markets provide the R&D necessary to make the whole process profitable. When tough times occur decisions have to made to cut costs. Get over it jobs will be cut at Merck and through out the industry until we get rid of this progressive plague destroying our free market economy.
 




Anonymous said:
I have never logged on here before today, but most of you sound very sour. I have been in the pharmaceutical business for 35 years and have never been around such negativity. You remind me of progressive democrats who have no clue where capital comes from. First of all, if it weren't for the field sales force selling the products in our bag you guys wouldn't have a job. What's changing our industry is the whole progressive movement toward socialized medical care. The pharmaceutical industry has long been the goose that lays the golden egg. Free markets provide the R&D necessary to make the whole process profitable. When tough times occur decisions have to made to cut costs. Get over it jobs will be cut at Merck and through out the industry until we get rid of this progressive plague destroying our free market economy.
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35 years?
I'd say it's about time someone as smart and wise as you retire, right?
And good riddance.
 




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