Merck's Fight for Fat Profits

As one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, Merck (NYSE: MRK  ) is constantly battling generic drugmakers in court. Take a look at some of its recent annual or quarterly SEC filings and you're sure to see huge sections devoted to its patent litigation struggles against a number of companies.

Recently, Merck was able to protect its cholesterol drugs Zetia and Vytorin from earlier-than-expected competition from Mylan (NASDAQ: MYL  ) . In this video, health care analyst Max Macaluso discusses what happened and how these drugs fit into Merck's overall business.

Can Merck beat the patent cliff?
This titan of the pharmaceutical industry stumbled into 2013 and continues to battle patent expirations and pipeline problems. Is Merck still a solid dividend play, or should investors be looking elsewhere? In a new premium research report on Merck, The Fool tackles all of the company's moving parts, its major market opportunities, and reasons to both buy and sell. To find out more -- and get a full year of free updates -- click here to claim your copy today.