To: Sergio H who wrote (44734 ) 10/28/2011 3:29:21 PM From: E_K_S Respond to Hi SergioH -Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) Merck 3Q profit soars, beats analysts' views Drugmaker Merck profit climbs from year-ago results weighed down by charges, beats Street view .Excluding more Schering-Plough acquisition and restructuring charges in the latest quarter, adjusted income was 94 cents per share, 3 cents per share higher than expected by analysts surveyed by FactSet. They typically exclude one-time items. Like other drugmakers, Merck continues to suffer from U.S. and European government health programs reining in spending, generic competition to former blockbusters and other problems. The company raised the lower end of its 2011 forecast, to a new range of $3.72 to $3.76 per share, excluding one-time items. Analysts expect $3.73 per share. Analyst Erik Gordon of University of Michigan's Ross School of Business was upbeat about the results. "Merck could become the only recent megamerger in pharma that is actually working," he said. "Usually, the claims that a merger will create a stronger new product pipeline and reduced costs pan out as firing lots of people and overpaying for a pipeline that disappoints.",
