Merck & Co. Inc.A Pharmaceutics Information System

Research Develop

Produce Distribute

Merck as a whole…

Business Goals and Objectives

• “The mission of Merck is to provide society with superior products and services by developing innovations and solutions that improve the quality of life and satisfy customer needs, and to provide employees with meaningful work and advancement opportunities, and investors with a superior rate of return”

What information system?

Customer Relationship Management

Profit

Pricing

Precision

The Merlin Sequence

Data purchased from IMS

Data loaded on to Oracle Database

Users use decision support tool to form reports

Reports are sent to various departments for decision making

Merlin

• Third Party Data Collection through IMS–Costs $20 million per year.

• Data Collected includes–“HCP [Hospital Casemix Protocol]

performance data –market data –activity data –plan data

• Uses a reporting tool to form reports and make queries.

Merlin

• Uses a Microsoft OS• Oracle Database and DBMS• MicroStrategies vendor for the

support tool• Much of the system was customized

in house. • One of many complex systems Merck

uses.

Utilization of the CRM

Executives

Accounting Marketing Sales Supply Chain Management

IS and Strategic Advantage

• Pricing– Inventory– Storage– Waste– Transport– Theft– Damage– Cost of Inventory– Ability to relocate?

• Uniqueness– Patents– Secrets– Usefulness– Generics– Development Cost– Research– FDA Approval

CO$T$

“The Merlin CRM is what engulfs this whole process and makes the whole thing work.”

• Sources:– Eileen Moyer. Email Interview– Merck.com/about/mission/html– Merck.com/merckhelps/