Not much in the way of good news at Merck this morning. The pharma giant announced that it is revising its financial guidelines through 2010, and eliminating 7,200 positions by 2011. The move is expected to save the company $3.8 billion to $4.2 billion through 2013.

The layoffs will be staggered throughout different parts of the company, with 40 percent of the reductions being US employees. About 25 percent of the cuts will be senior and middle management

Merck President and CEO Richard T. Clark (pictured above in happier times) cited manufacturing challenges of some vaccines as a key problem area, along with a 15 percent drop in sales of the cholesterol drugs Zetia and Vytorin, which have been plagued with troubles in the past year. The loss of patent exclusivity of Fosamax also set the company back more than $127 million over last year. Even Merck’s HPV blockbuster Gardasil saw a decrease in sales of 4 percent, with earnings of $401 million in Q3 2008. (more…)

Promotions and hires for September 26, 2008:

• Merck named Barry J. Goldstein, M.D., vice president of clinical development for diabetes and obesity

• Sanofi-Aventis announced that Chris Viehbacher will succeed current CEO Gerard Le Fur in December

• GlaxoSmithKline named Ellen Strahlman chief medical officer

• Questcor Pharmaceuticals appointed Gary Sawka CFO

• Encorium appointed David Ginsberg president and CEO

• Wyeth named Daniel J. McIntyre vice president, corporate communications

• Genesis Pharmaceuticals appointed John Yang Wang to its board of directors

• Zosano Pharma appointed Gail Schulze chair and CEO

• Lilly named John Lechleiter its board of directors chairman

• Merz Pharmaceuticals named Jack Britts president and CEO

• Ferring Pharmaceuticals appointed Paul Korner, M.D., vice president, medical affairs

• Zafgen appointed Thomas Hughes the company’s first CEO

Click here to view a slideshow from Prix Galien 2008

The 2008 Prix Galien USA is in the books, and Pharm Exec was in attendance at New York’s Museum of Natural History to take in all the festivities. Pfizer, Merck, Alexion, Wyeth, and Celgene were all recognized for their work in advancing science in both the biotech and pharma industries. Charlie Rose played master of ceremonies to a packed house featuring a who’s who of the science elite and a handful of Nobel Laureates. (more…)

When 5,742 physicians opt in voting for their favorite medical journal ads over utilizing spare time that never comes, you know it’s a big deal. And yesterday at The Doctor’s Choice awards luncheon sponsored by the Association of Medical Media (AMM), their input was not only showcased on a most refined level but also indicative of what they want pharma marketing to deliver.

It became quite clear to me early in the ceremony that physicians weren’t selecting ads based on how fun and fancy they were, but rather on how they delivered a message straight and to the point. William Castagnoli, director of The Doctor’s Choice awards, echoed my thoughts. (more…)

Yesterday the hope of “a global AIDS vaccine in our lifetime” was pretty much shattered. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime commander of the US’s wavering war on AIDS, delivered the last nail in the coffin of what had been a bold research and development effort by both Merck and the National Institutes of Health to develop a vaccine using a cold-virus carrier. (more…)

After more than 25 years at Merck, Wendy Yarno, the company’s chief marketing officer, will retire. The announcement of Yarno’s stepping down was made this morning in an e-mail to Merck employees.

Yarno joined Merck in 1983 as a sales rep, went on to launch Cozaar and Hyzaar, and then eventually was named to oversee marketing for Merck’s human healthcare business. Most recently, she received press for her pivotal role in launching Januvia.

Yarno has been out in front, talking about the importance of Merck’s transformation and the need to create better alignment among the different functions at the company. But all this alignment suggests that Yarno’s retirement might have come a bit earlier than expected. A source inside the company reveals that this is just the first of many other changes expected to be announced shortly.