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Big Pharma Vs. Big Biotech 10 hrs ago
Discussing a new deal by Pfizer, with CNBC's Mike Huckman.

Sebelius on Vaccines

24 Nov 2009

Discussing whether a new $487M investment from the government will help speed up the production of the most important vaccines, with Kathy Sebelius, Health & Human Services secretary and CNBC's Mike Huckman.

The New Formula for Faster Vaccines

24 Nov 2009

Novartis is opening on Tuesday the country's first plant to produce flu vaccines using cell cultures. These vaccines are faster, better and cheaper to make than egg-based methods, reports CNBC's Mike Huckman.

Novartis Opens 1st US Plant for Flu Vaccine

24 Nov 2009

Cholesterol Drug Battle: Niaspan vs. Zetia 16 Nov 2009
Abbott Laboratories' Niaspan beat Merck's Zetia in a new study. CNBC's Mike Huckman has the details.

Cardiologist Grades Cholesterol Drug Study

16 Nov 2009

Abbott Laboratories' Niaspan beat Merck's Zetia in a new study. Dr. Steven Nissen, chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Cleveland Clinic, shares his reaction with CNBC's Mike Huckman.

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CNBC ON DIGG

Merck: Both Sides Now

Published: Friday, 13 Nov 2009 | 11:55 AM ET

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By: Mike Huckman
CNBC Correspondent

It doesn't always happen, but there is a common to-and-fro, push-and-pull, back-and-forth or whatever you want to call it between reporters and corporate PR folks. I don't particularly like that part of my job, but sometimes it just comes with the territory. I've got my job to do and they've got theirs. I get it.

However, earlier this week a Merck PR guy asked me, "Why are you making this such a big deal? It's a 200-patient study." When I tweeted it, one of my journalism pals on Twitter replied that they'd (I'm shielding their identity and gender) been told even worse on several occasions by various corp comm pitbulls: "Don't embarrass yourself," they reportedly said in a desperate last-ditch attempt to get a story spiked. I think if anyone ever said that to me I'd blow a gasket.

The Merck [MRK Loading... () ] rep was referring to our coverage plans for the Arbiter 6 clinical trial results that are coming out next Monday morning at 8 a.m. ET at the American Heart Association meeting and, according to analysts, simultaneously in "The New England Journal of Medicine."

I'll be reporting live from the event in Orlando on "Squawk Box" starting at 7:30 a.m. with a curtain-raiser and then with the breaking news at the top of the next hour.

I wonder if "New York Times" reporter Natasha Singer got the same treatment from Merck as I did. She wrote a big takeout on the test that pitted MRK's Zetia/Vytorin against Abbott's Niaspan [ABT Loading... () ]. In the print edition the story appears on the front page of the business section under the headline, "Cholesterol Study Rivets An Industry."

That apparently prompted "The Wall Street Journal Health Blog" to do kind of a counterpoint piece titled, "The Next Vytorin Study: Why Is Everybody So Worked Up?" I know Merck has to love that.

One analyst, Leerink Swann's Seamus Fernandez, says much of the reaction to the study will be dictated by the tone of two editorials he says will appear in NEJM alongside the results. But JPMorgan's Chris Schott says in a research note to clients this week, "The key swing factor when considering the potential impact to the (Vytorin/Zetia) cholesterol franchise will be the degree of media focus around the study."

We reporters get it from all sides.

'Nice Opportunities' in Health Care Sector: Stock Picker

Questions? Comments? and follow me on Twitter at mhuckman