If a company like Merck (MRK) is going to overcome problems with a lot its drugs going "off patent" it is going to have to come up with some new ways to make money. One is to offer its drugs over-the-counter, which should boost sales.
According to The Associated Press "the government is questioning if too many of the wrong people will take cholesterol-lowering Mevacor if it’s sold without a prescription, days before Merck & Co. makes its third try to move the drug over the counter."
Surveys of potential patients show that many are not sure when and how to use the drug. That is probably a good reason to keep doctors as the gate-keepers for Mevacor.
Douglas A. McIntyre
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