We said goodbye to Wyeth three weeks ago,
Pfizer
Today it's Schering-Plough's heave-ho,
Merck
Technically, Schering lives on as a quirk;
It was a reverse merger, after all.
But after Schering bought Merck
As "Merck," it answers the call.
Change in control or reverse merger deal?
Only an arbiter will decide.
Non-U.S. Remicade sales are on appeal;
Johnson & Johnson
Like Bristol-Myers Squibb
Partners can be acquired.
Using Vytorin-plus-Zetia to get close
Actually may have backfired.
But Schering's pipeline also has gusto.
Merck's is a bit of a mess.
Many weren't developed by Schering, though,
But through Organon BioSciences' largesse.
Only $14 billion that deal was costing;
It came with lots of drugs to boot
Which made Merck's acquisition exhausting,
Organon brought animal-health product loot.
You see, Merial was Merck's joint-venture bride,
With sanofi-aventis
But Merck having something of its own on the side?
"Absolutement non!" Sanofi declared.
Merck, its half of Merial did sell
To Sanofi, the partner, it went.
But the previous partners could once again gel;
Sanofi has the option to relent.
The question now's how well the merger will go,
Merck doesn't have much experience with that.
Uniting with Schering mightn't help much, though.
ROEs, after big mergers, often go splat.
To Schering we bid our fondest adieu;
Founder Ernst might weep at the shame.
Your German sibling has shuffled off, too,
But Bayer, at least, saved his name.
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