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Prior to losing U.S. patent protection, simvastatin was Merck & Co.’s largest selling drug and second largest selling cholesterol lowering drug in the world; it recorded 4.3 billion dollars of sales in 2005.[4] Zocor had an original patent expiration date of January 2006 but was extended by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expire on June 23, 2006. The FDA granted the patent extension after Merck & Co, Inc. submitted data from studies of the drug’s positive effect on children, a move typically used by drug companies to lengthen exclusivity.
Ordinarily, Merck & Co. would have expected a sharp decrease in sales after the generic versions of simvastatin entered the market; however, Merck has slashed the price of Zocor dramatically in an effort to claim sales that would have otherwise gone to the generic versions. At least two major U.S. health insurers, UnitedHealthcare and WellPoint, are now offering Zocor to their members at generic copays.
In addition, since Merck & Co. itself manufactures at least some versions of Dr. Reddy's authorized generic simvastatin, and since only Dr. Reddy's can supply generic simvastatin in all available strengths (unlike Teva and Ranbaxy), Merck & Co. is also poised to profit from the Dr. Reddy's version. An 80mg, 30-count bottle of Dr. Reddy's simvastatin obtained July 6, 2006, states it is made by Merck Sharp & Dohme (Merck & Co.'s name outside the US to avoid conflicts with Merck KGaA) in the UK, just like 80mg Zocor, and has a Merck & Co. logo on the bottom; except for omitting the "80" on one side, the pills are visually identical to 80mg Zocor, including "543" on the other side which is the key part of the National Drug Code for 80mg Zocor.
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