J&J will fight Merck & CO/S-P merger to secure drug rights; FT

US health care major Johnson & Johnson is hoping to benefit from the merger between Merck & Co and Schering-Plough to secure the rights to  arthritis drugs Remicade (infliximab) and golimumab, which it co-markets  with S-P through subsidiary Centocor, according to sources quoted by the  UK Financial Times. According to the anonymous parties, J&J is not  seeking to prevent the deal, but will use its right to oppose it in  order to claim concessions from S-P in return for its consent. J&J has  previously considered making an offer for S-P, but rejected the idea.  However, the FT article notes that a counter-bid could still cause  problems for Merck.