Essay on Merck Case Study

This discussion question is based on a case study. As in all case studies, review the facts of the case and consider the various steps of the nursing process in order to address the critical thinking questions.

Some financial considerations we must take into account are that the purchase price of $6.6 billion, Merck would be paying a premium to acquire Medco, which had reported revenues of $2.2 billion in 1992. The revenue generated is 22% increase from 1991. This shows that Medco has seen tremendous growth in both revenue and earnings since coming into the market in 1984. Thus Merck will gain the ability to increase more market share as well.

Another issue is too much power is given to scientists in decision-making of candidate drugs. Also there were inadequacies and lack of communication between marketing and research. Merck’s marketing and research needed to realize that the making of the drug is not only the most important part in increasing sales, but it also included a strong advertising campaign that will satisfy the needs of the customers.

Do you believe that Merck acted in a socially responsible and ethical manner with regard to Vioxx? Why or why not? (In your answer, please address the company’s drug development and

Research and Development: Merck is a research-driven company that has a new research and development model incorporating its business strategy. Merck hopes to improve the success of is R&D and to reduce costs by focusing on therapeutic areas that have unmet medical needs, and scientific and commercial opportunity. It plans to develop products within these therapeutic areas that are highly valued by patients and doctors.

Merck’s diverse product lines provide the company with a broad target customer base of doctors and any consumer in need of medication. Their

As consultant to Sanders and Myers, I would suggest they rethink the continuation of economic value added (“EVA”) bonus payout process. The proposed EVA bonus payout structure is supposed to be an objective way to gauge and reward employee performance; however, through no fault of their own, the Dermatology group is slated to undergo severe ebbs and flows in their incentive and could potentially wreak havoc on employee morale and retention.

Those target markets who rely on Johnson & Johnson health and medical needs are mostly patients, doctors, nurses and civilians. Therefore, the company need to sustain their products and services over all these years to ensure that lower income people and underprivileged patients are able to access on their medicines. This however requires the company to balance patient’s access and competitive dynamics in line with their need as the company need to have enough resources to keep on being innovating, creating new and better medicines and at the same time making sure there will be a fair return to the shareholder as well. Johnson & Johnson also work closely with the governments, physicians, non-government organizations and the international donors all around the world to provide its products within an affordable prices to its

It wasn’t too long ago that the main security issue facing pharmaceutical companies was protecting their intellectual property from competitors who might be so unscrupulous as to try and steal information about new products. As computers became more entrenched in the pharmaceutical industry, for example, a clinical trial means having to store patient information, security became an issue as the pharmaceutical companies began storing patient data on their servers – they must comply with HIPAA, so patient privacy became an important cyber security issue. Always a priority, cyber security is at the top of the list for pharmaceutical organizations as threats from terrorist groups on pharmaceutical firms is real and increasing.

Pfizer is the largest American pharmaceutical company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. It competes with Merck and Glaxo, and markets such well-known medications as Celebrex and Viagra. However, the pharmaceutical industry as a whole has undergone changes in recent years with significant consolidation taking place and with increased scrutiny regarding the ways in which drugs are developed, tested and marketed. In addition, recent controversies have erupted regarding Merck's drug Vioxx, and Pfizer has been the target of unwanted publicity regarding its painkiller Celebrex. This research considers the strategic position of Pfizer, including its strengths and weaknesses as well

The barriers Merck faces in the attempt to pursue open innovation are the shift in Merck’s culture and mindset. Merck’s culture and organizational systems maintained this reason, which expected that later they hired the best people; the smartest people in the industry must work for Merck. Dr. Turner knew that innovations attempts often failed for large companies. Merck was optimistic because of his past successful experiences with several open-innovation ingenuity. Merck was already tapping into external

The second rests in Pfizer’s expiring patents on several popular drugs that invite their competitors to enter the market with similarly performing pharmaceuticals. Once these patents expire, Pfizer will either have to extend the patent through reformulating the performance of the drug for another purpose called “ever greening”, or abandon the line in the pursuit of another, more profitable product. Regardless of what they do in terms of their own product offerings, generic imitations of their products will enter the market, diluting the profitability of the drug and forcing reliance on the sales of other existing products to make up the loss.

Bayer AG is fully committed to expanding its business operations through pharmaceuticals, consumer health, and crop science. Bayer AG understands that in order for the company to successfully expand its Pharmaceuticals department they must properly invest in research, development, and marketing of innovative medicinal products. In addition, Bayer AG is developing clinical programs, which will enable the company to provide various of its products to a greater number of people. Bayer AG ability to identify areas in medicine that remain untapped is crucial to the firm’s long term sustainability. For example, Bayer AG has identified the fields of cardiology, oncology, gynecology, and

In summary of the Pfizer case study, the organization realized executives and key employees were spending 20-40% of their time on support work rather than knowledge work. In response, the company started a “magic button” process. When an employee would like to pass off the tasks that are monotonous or lack luster they can press the “magic button”. The tasks are assigned to individuals of an outside organization for completion. The result is an increase of employee productivity.

In 2013, GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Chinese operations were investigated for paying millions of dollars in bribes to Chinese medical professionals via a network of travel agents and other parties. The UK based pharmaceutical company was bribing these professionals in order to obtain monetary gains and build their presence in China. GSK had a seemingly in-depth compliance program and code of conduct for its employees, management, and third parties, but it fell short as bribery ran rampant. GSK was eventually found guilty by Chinese courts and instructed to pay a significant penalty, while five members also received prison sentences. The gift giving culture in China may be partly to blame for the common practice of bribery, but there are also other internal and external factors to consider. GSK as well as other companies and the Chinses government are using this case as a learning tool and making an effort to make necessary changes to prevent corruption in the future. This case provides an excellent example of the risks and challenges companies – not just pharmaceutical companies – may face when doing business in China.