It strikes me as being unique that a company can see half a billion dollars in income go away and see it as a relatively small impact on earnings per share.

Does it increase the amount of money for which Merck is liable? I would say no, because Merck hasn't been proven to be liable for anything.

Does it increase the amount of money for which Merck is liable? ... I would say no, because Merck hasn't been proven to be liable for anything.

There's no evidence that the amount of payment will ever exceed the amount of cash, ... Nobody's had to cut their dividend because of liability.

These companies are very resilient.

The entire drug group is not exactly having a stellar performance and may not until the second half of 2002 when we expect a number of positive catalysts, in the form of drug approvals, to emerge within the sector,