KENILWORTH and WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., June 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Schering-Plough Corp. (NYSE: SGP - News) and Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK - News) announce the withdrawal of the New Drug Application (NDA) for the loratadine/montelukast combination tablet.
The companies also terminated the Schering-Plough/Merck Pharmaceuticals respiratory joint venture, which was formed in May 2000 to develop and market a fixed-combination product that would combine loratadine and montelukast. This action has no impact on the business of the Merck/Schering-Plough cholesterol joint venture.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued on April 25, 2008 a not-approvable letter for the proposed fixed-dose combination of loratadine and montelukast.
As a result of the termination of the respiratory joint venture, Schering- Plough expects to receive payments totaling $105 million from Merck as specified in the joint venture agreements which Schering-Plough will recognize over the remaining three quarters of 2008.
Source: Schering-Plough Corp.; Merck & Co., Inc.
