Ah, with Merck, the “manufacturing issues” turn out to be the norm. So the shortages of Merck drugs appear to be sheer incompetence. They may also be breaking the law in various ways, but based on what little evidence is available from the cloistered, closeted and secretive company, they are very good at selling products but have no idea how to make the products.

Random news clips about Merck:

….Merck (MRK) used a deft bit of spin to disclose in a quarterly 10-Q filing that it is being investigated by the Department of Justice and the SEC for possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits paying bribes to do business in foreign countries. Merck said it believed the inquiries were a “review” that was part of a “broader” inquiry into pharmaceutical companies generally.
http://www.overoll.com/image/787702

…The international pharmaceutical giant Merck Sharp & Dohme Co. has reacquired the Cherokee Pharmaceutical plant it sold to PRWT Services Inc. 2 1/2 years ago.
…In an unrelated development, Merck disclosed Monday that it is being probed by two federal agencies for possibly violating laws in multiple foreign countries, according to an Associated Press report….
http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x1189...rside-facility
.. Merck continues to have difficulties with some of its adult vaccines. As previously noted, the adult version of Recombivax will not be available at all this year, after the drugmaker had hope to restore supplies by mid-2010. And orders placed for the Zostavax shingles vaccine after mid-May won’t be filled until November or December.
Merck has struggled with vaccine production issues for more than two years. The FDA issued a warning letter in April 2008 after an inspection found a ” number of significant objectionable conditions relating to your firm’s compliance” with good manufacturing practices.
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/08/mer...28Pharmalot%29

…No end in sight for adult hepatitis B vaccine shortage
Merck & Co., Inc. does not anticipate that the adult formulation of its hepatitis B vaccine will be available for the rest of 2010.

The lengthy and ongoing shortage of adult hepatitis B vaccine has baffled some public health doctors.

“Why is there a shortage for a stable vaccine that has been around for years?” asks Dr. Vinita Dubey, associate medical officer of health for Toronto Public Health’s division of communicable diseases. “This is a real public health concern.” …..According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), other provinces and territories have also been forced to amend immunization programs.

“There are logistical challenges of trying to catch people up on immunizations that may have been delayed due to the shortage,”

The shortage began in January 2009, when Merck & Co., Inc. announced that equipment upgrades at its vaccine plant in West Point, Pennsylvania, would disrupt production of the adult version of its hepatitis B vaccine (Recombivax HB®). The vaccine will likely remain unavailable for the near future.

….Jennifer Allen Woodruff, a spokeswoman for Merck, writes in an email. “Over the last couple of years, supply disruptions have occurred due to unexpected manufacturing issues that prompted modification to some of our processes and equipment. …
http://www.cmaj.ca/earlyreleases/27j...e-shortage.dtl