MMR Vaccine Sales Boost Merck’s 2019 Revenues
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publicized measles outbreaks in several states beginning in January 2019, on May 1 Merck & Co. announced that it had increased production of its live attenuated (weakened) virus MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine in response to an increasing demand for the product in the United States. […]
Former FDA Commissioner Gottlieb Joins Pfizer
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD has joined the board of directors of Pfizer, Inc.—the world’s largest pharmaceutical company and second largest manufacturer of vaccines. Pfizer, which posted total revenues of $53.7 billion in 2018, announced Dr. Gottlieb’s election to the board on June 27, 2019.1 2 3 4 Dr. Gottlieb, […]
Market for Breathing Machines Alive and Well
The market for “iron lung” machines is estimated at well over $2 billion annually. Of course, the machines are no longer referred to as iron lungs, because the technology has advanced and they’re now called “ventilators.” Several studies have been published during the past year estimating the annual value of the market for ventilators and […]
Blockbuster Vaccine Sales Drive Higher Earnings for Merck
Merck & Co., Inc. reported a strong financial start to 2019, with an eight percent increase in it first-quarter earnings, due partly to vaccine sales. Worldwide sales for the pharmaceutical company in the first quarter reached $10.8 billion, up from approximately $10 billion in the first quarter of 2018. Merck attributed the overall growth to […]
Why Statistical Significance is Killing Science
In 2016, the American Statistical Association1 released an editorial warning against the misuse of statistical significance in interpreting scientific research. Another commentary was recently published in the journal Nature,2 calling for the research community to abandon the concept of statistical significance. Before being published in Nature,3 the article states it was endorsed by more than 800 statisticians and […]
UPS, Merck Plan Pilot Program to Vaccinate Adults at Home
United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) is considering venturing into the health care industry. According to a Reuters news report, the package delivery firm is preparing to test a service that will dispatch nurses to vaccinate adults in their homes. UPS has not publicly disclosed which vaccines would be offered, but vaccine manufacturer Merck & Co. […]