64978--3/13/2006--MERCK_&_CO

related topics

{property, intellectual, protect}

{product, candidate, development}

{product, market, service}

{financial, litigation, operation}

Certain of the Company s major products are going to lose patent protection in the near future and, when that occurs, the Company expects a significant decline in sales of those products. The Company s research and development efforts may not succeed in developing commercially successful products and the Company may not be able to acquire commercially successful products in other ways; in consequence, the Company may not be able to replace sales of successful products that have lost patent protection. The Company s products, including products in development, can not be marketed unless the Company obtains and maintains regulatory approval. The Company is dependent on its patent rights, and if its patent rights are invalidated or circumvented, its business would be adversely affected. The Company faces intense competition from lower-cost generic products. The Company faces intense competition from new products. Cautionary Factors that May Affect Future Results

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64978--3/13/2006--MERCK_&_CO_INC