Du Pont Merck
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Du Pont Merck The pharmaceutical industry’s new kid on the block Du Pont Merck Pharmaceuticals Inc., the 50-50 joint venture between chemicals giant Du Pont Co. and prescription drugs collossus Merck & Co., has been called a 3,600-employee start-up company with a research and development budget of $230 million. Its projected first-year sales of $700 million would qualify it for a spot in the Fortune 500 list. Its 1,500-member research staff alone is larger than the work force of most Puerto Rico manufacturers. While its numbers are impressive, few people are aware of the role that Du Pont Merck Pharmaceuticals operations in Puerto Rico play in the launching of the new company. Du Pont Merck Pharmaceuticals operates two drug manufacturing plants in Puerto Rico. Its Manati drug manufacturing facility, built at a cost of nearly $60 million, was inaugurated last January (See CARIBBEAN BUSINESS, Dec. 20, 1990). Du Pont Merck’s Manati plant employs 350 workers and will be the main production site for Cardiolite, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved cardiac imaging agent used in the diagnosis of damage caused by heart attacks. The plant will also produce Persantine, a drug that stimulates heart activity in patients undergoing stress tests. Du Pont Merck’s Source : accessmylibrary.com |