Is Deal Similar to Merck-Medco Situation?
Still, some skepticism about the deal exists. F. Randy Vogenberg, Ph.D., co-founder of pharmaceutical consulting firm Employer-based Pharmaceutical Strategies, LLC, questions Epstein’s claim that it won’t be an issue that the studies are funded by the pharma industry. “The Merck and Medco ‘mess’ refutes that statement,” he maintains. “At face value, the two are at odds regarding servicing their client needs and goals. Medco is saving cost and optimizing drug therapy outcomes. UBC is optimizing clinical research and generating economic studies to increase pharma sales. How they operate independently and maintain firewalls herald back to the issues when Merck owned them that ended up in Medco returning to being independent. While the expertise is synergistic and science similar, the applications differ 180 degrees.” According to Vogenberg, “In general, this deal feels similar to the CVS and Caremark acquisition that was met with a great deal of skepticism as to what investor or client va
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