CEO Dick Clark is speaking, now. . . but first, my reaction to the almost goofy announcement of a Lipitor/Zetia combo pill?
". . . .If you'd like to take a high-priced "placebo" (Zetia) -- with your generic version of Lipitor (which drug does sport "outcomes" data!) -- by all means, be my guest, here.
Just don't charge me another red-penny for that placebo called Zetia.
I think, more precisely, reimbursement guidelines will shift toward generic statins -- Lipitor-like drugs. Good luck with this -- Merck and Schering-Plough. . ."
This combo-pill will be available -- at the earliest -- in late 2012 (see above slide -- click it to enlarge). Just about when we will likely find out about IMPROVE-IT. That is what we call a replacement strategy, emerging. Goodbye, Vytorin -- we knew ye' well.
However, by then, several "go-it-alone" generic versions of Lipitor will already be on the market in the United States -- as Lipitor goes off-patent in March 2010 -- so, why would third party payers agree to pay any premium for this combo-pill?
My hunch? They won't.
I do think it rather strange that Merck and Schering will spend perhaps $500 million, or more, over the next four years, on this dubious Phase III project. It is almost comical that Merck believes -- upon the "best-case" 2012 FDA approval -- that this generic-Lipitor/Zetia combo-pill could make a case for premium pricing (and that is the sole motivation, here -- let's be honest!) -- when stand-alone generic versions of Lipitor will have been on the market since early 2010! A full year and a half of lead-time, there, at least. Ouch.
This is, however, for Merck -- certainly the "long-kiss-goodnight" -- (dump of) Vytorin. There is almost no other way to read this Whitehouse Station move.
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