Merck's jobs axe is put to work

There's a lot of rumbling in the blogosphere about the Merck job-chopping block. Last fall Merck announced it would shed 6,800 jobs--and now, the drugmaker is lowering the boom. Or so we're told.

Derek Lowe at In the Pipeline is hearing firsthand from Merck folks that an across-the-board cutback in R&D is going on as we speak. Research types at all R&D sites are getting pink slips.

And with Merck and Schering-Plough destined to merge later this year, the job cuts are due to step up a notch. If the current round is part of the previously announced restructuring plan, they're just a warm-up for an expected 16,000 or so additional cuts. All told, Merck and Schering-Plough's workforce is expected to shrink by 15 percent.

- read the post at In The Pipeline

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