Exhibit 99.1
September 22, 2008 - Frequently Asked Questions and Answers – (FAQs)
From time to time, Investor Relations will provide FAQs on various topics of interest. The following is a compilation of recent FAQs.
What are the IMS prescription volumes for VYTORIN and ZETIA?
U.S. Total Prescription Volume (000’s)
| Jan. | Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cholesterol Management Market | 20,519 | 19,042 | 19,788 | 19,645 | 19,910 | 19,403 | 20,292 | 19,666 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Merck/Schering-Plough Franchise | 3,226 | 2,790 | 2,820 | 2,507 | 2,479 | 2,351 | 2,376 | 2,233 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VYTORIN | 1,851 | 1,607 | 1,619 | 1,428 | 1,412 | 1,330 | 1,339 | 1,249 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ZETIA | 1,375 | 1,183 | 1,201 | 1,079 | 1,067 | 1,022 | 1,038 | 984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: IMS’National Prescription Audit Plus (NPA+)as of September 17, 2008, which includes routine refinements by IMS to previously published data.
What is the status of the clinical development program for boceprevir?
Schering-Plough previously announced the initiation of two large Phase III studies of boceprevir, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 1. Patient enrollment is currently underway and the first patient has been dosed in the Phase III program. The two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III studies will evaluate the efficacy of boceprevir in combination with PEGINTRON(TM) (peginterferon alfa-2b) and REBETOL(R) (ribavirin, USP) compared to standard of care with PEGINTRON and REBETOL alone.
In early August 2008, Schering-Plough reported top-line results from a planned interim analysis of a Phase II study of boceprevir. The press release announcing these results can be found on the Schering-Plough website at http://www.sgp.com/schering_plough/news/release.jsp?releaseID=1182855.
DISCLOSURE NOTICE: The information in the frequently asked questions included in this FAQ, and in other written and oral statements about Schering-Plough and its business made by Schering-Plough or its officers from time to time, includes certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to prescription trends for VYTORIN and ZETIA.
Forward-looking statements relate to expectations or forecasts of future events. Schering-Plough does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from Schering-Plough’s forward-looking statements, including market forces (such as customer buying patterns); economic factors; product availability; patent and other intellectual property protection; current and future branded, generic or over-the-counter competition; the timing and outcomes of the regulatory process; the timing and outcomes of clinical trials; and prescriber, patient and media reaction to data obtained from post-marketing clinical trials, among other uncertainties. For further details about these and other factors that may impact the forward-looking statements, see Schering-Plough’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including Part II, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in the second quarter 2008 10-Q filed August 1, 2008.