MERCK marca tendencia...8.500 "a la calle".

Merck & Co., the second-biggest U.S. drugmaker by sales, will fire 8,500 workers and revamp its research and development after seeing new medicines delayed by U.S. regulators. 

The positions eliminated add to 7,500 cuts already announced, the Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based company said in a statement today. That amounts to 20 percent of Merck’s total workforce. The company declined to break down where the dismissals will occur, saying only they will come from all areas of Merck, including R&D, sales and management.

The moves, designed to save $1 billion next year, are part of a strategy set by Chief Executive Officer Ken Frazier and R&D chief Roger Perlmutter, who was hired in April to replace Peter Kim. Under Kim, experimental drugs in cardiovascular, surgery, and osteoporosis suffered setbacks while rival drugmakers were able to get new products to market. 

“We will sharpen our focus on core therapeutic areas,” Frazier said on a conference call. That means more resources for vaccines, cancer, diabetes and hospital care. “In other therapeutic areas, we will significantly reduce our resources.” (Más)

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