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UPDATE: Senator Sends Letter To Merck Over Co's Outsourcing |
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| Thursday July 24th, 2008 / 22h16 |
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(Updates with comment from Merck in the fourth paragraph.)
By Jared A. Favole Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A junior member of a Senate health committee on Thursday sent a letter to Merck & Co. (MRK) Chief Executive Richard T. Clark questioning the safety implications of the company's reliance on outsourcing.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said he wants the pharmaceutical giant to explain how it tracks the ingredients in the drugs it develops, and how it ensures each facility it outsources to meets safety standards.
Sen. Brown said he also wants the Whitehouse Station, N.J., company to confirm that every pharmaceutical product it makes is manufactured in a Food and Drug Administration-approved facility, according to the letter, a copy of which was released to the media Thursday.
Merck spokeswoman Amy Rose said the company is reviewing the letter and will respond. The company doesn't purchase or use materials from suppliers that don't meet the company's "rigorous" standards, Rose said.
Sen. Brown is a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, which is chaired by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D.-Mass.
According to the letter, Merck plans to outsource about 35% of its manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients and products by 2010.
Earlier in the year, Sen. Brown sent a similar letter to Pfizer Inc. (PFE). Pfizer responded to the letter, saying outsourcing doesn't compromise the safety of American consumers and that looser safety standards and lower costs don't motivate company decisions, according to Sen. Brown's press release.
-By Jared A. Favole, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9207; jared.favole@dowjones.com
Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http://www.djnewsplus.com/al?rnd=phsswTut%2FJDY9803IBEBGw%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.
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| Thursday July 24th, 2008 / 22h16 |
Source : Dowjones Business News |
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