And for Merck, there is also a point of pride: whether its effort to get a combination of laropiprant and niacin through the Food and Drug Administration was ever a good idea, or was too clever by half.
This has led to speculation that, should Mr Berlusconi fall, FLI might get together in parliament with centrist groups and the centre-left Democratic Party, a combination that would enjoy a slim majority, to support a technocratic administration.
An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unanimously voted Nov. 14 that Roche's new combination therapy for hepatitis C should be approved.