Merck and Co's 2nd-qtr 2006 net income reaches $1.4B thanks to Zocor and Singulair

USA-based drug major Merck & Co says that its net income for the second quarter of 2006, which hit $1.44 billion, was nearly double that for the comparable period last year. The company attributes much of its success in the second three months of the year to the continued good performance of its cholesterol-lowering treatment Zocor (simvastatin), as well as the asthma drug Singulair (montelukast), which produced revenues of $990.0 million and $950.0 million, respectively. The firm also said that it had been pleased with sales of the statin Zocor, for which it lost US marketing exclusivity late last month.

The company's share price rose $1.59, or 4.3%, to $38.95 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange on the day of the announcement, July 24.

Collaboration with Schering-Plough