Acquisitions, Divestitures, Research Collaborations and License Agreements	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions, Divestitures, Research Collaborations, and License Agreements	Acquisitions, Divestitures, Research Collaborations and License Agreements The Company continues its strategy of establishing external alliances to complement its substantial internal research capabilities, including research collaborations, licensing preclinical and clinical compounds to drive both near- and long-term growth. The Company supplements its internal research with a licensing and external alliance strategy focused on the entire spectrum of collaborations from early research to late-stage compounds, as well as access to new technologies. These arrangements often include upfront payments, as well as expense reimbursements or payments to the third party, and milestone, royalty or profit share payments, contingent upon the occurrence of certain future events linked to the success of the asset in development. The Company also reviews its pipeline to examine candidates which may provide more value through out-licensing and, as part of its portfolio assessment process, may also divest certain products. In December 2014, Merck and Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Cubist”) announced a definitive agreement under which Merck would acquire Cubist for a total purchase price of approximately $9.5 billion. Cubist is a leader in the development of new therapies to treat serious and potentially life-threatening infections caused by a broad range of increasingly drug-resistant bacteria. This transaction closed on January 21, 2015; accordingly, the results of operations of the acquired business will be included in the Company’s results of operations beginning after that date. Also in December 2014, Merck acquired OncoEthix, a privately held biotechnology company specializing in oncology drug development. Total purchase consideration in the transaction of $153 million included an upfront cash payment of $110 million and future additional milestone payments of up to $265 million that are contingent upon certain clinical and regulatory milestones being achieved, which the Company determined had a fair value of $43 million at the acquisition date. The transaction was accounted for as an acquisition of a business; accordingly, the assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded at their respective fair values as of the acquisition date. The determination of fair value requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions. Merck recognized an intangible asset for IPR&D of $143 million related to MK-8628 (formerly OTX015), an investigational, novel oral BET (bromodomain) inhibitor currently in Phase 2 studies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and advanced solid tumors, as well as a liability for contingent consideration of $43 million and other net assets and liabilities of $10 million. The fair value of the identifiable intangible asset related to IPR&D was determined using an income approach, through which fair value is estimated based upon the asset’s probability adjusted future net cash flows, which reflects the stage of development of the project and the associated probability of successful completion. The net cash flows were then discounted to present value using a discount rate of 11.5%. The fair value of the contingent consideration was determined utilizing a probability weighted estimated cash flow stream adjusted for the expected timing of each payment also utilizing a discount rate of 11.5%. This transaction closed on December 18, 2014; accordingly, the results of operations of the acquired business have been included in the Company’s results of operations beginning after that date. Pro forma financial information has not been included because OncoEthix’s historical financial results are not significant when compared with the Company’s financial results. On October 1, 2014, the Company completed the sale of its Merck Consumer Care (“MCC”) business to Bayer AG (“Bayer”) for $14.2 billion ($14.0 billion net of cash divested), less customary closing adjustments as well as certain contingent amounts held back that will be payable upon the manufacturing site transfer in Canada and regulatory approval in Korea. Under the terms of the agreement, Bayer acquired Merck’s existing over-the-counter business, including the global trademark and prescription rights for Claritin and Afrin. The Company recognized a pretax gain from the sale of MCC of $11.2 billion in 2014. Also on October 1, 2014, the Company entered into a worldwide clinical development collaboration with Bayer to market and develop its portfolio of soluble guanylate cyclase (“sGC”) modulators. This includes Bayer’s Adempas (riociguat), the first member of this novel class of compounds. Adempas is approved to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (“PAH”) and is the first and only drug treatment approved for patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (“CTEPH”). Adempas is currently marketed in the United States and Europe for both PAH and CTEPH and in Japan for CTEPH. The two companies will equally share costs and profits from the collaboration and implement a joint development and commercialization strategy. The collaboration also includes clinical development of Bayer’s vericiguat, which is currently in Phase 2 trials for worsening heart failure, as well as opt-in rights for other early-stage sGC compounds in development at Bayer. Merck will in turn make available its early-stage sGC compounds under similar terms. In return for these broad collaboration rights, Merck made an upfront payment to Bayer of $1.0 billion with the potential for additional milestone payments upon the achievement of agreed-upon sales goals. For Adempas, Bayer will continue to lead commercialization in the Americas, while Merck will lead commercialization in the rest of the world. For vericiguat and other potential opt-in products, Bayer will lead in the rest of world and Merck will lead in the Americas. For all products and candidates included in the agreement, both companies will share in development costs and profits on sales and will have the right to co-promote in territories where they are not the lead. The Company determined that Merck’s payment to access Bayer’s compounds constituted an acquisition of an asset. Of the $1.0 billion consideration paid by Merck, $915 million of fair value related to currently marketed product Adempas and was capitalized as an intangible asset subject to amortization over its estimated useful life of 12 years, and the remaining $85 million of fair value related to the vericiguat compound currently in clinical development and expensed within Research and development expenses. The fair values of Adempas and vericiguat were determined using an income approach, through which fair value is estimated based upon probability adjusted future net cash flows, and for vericiguat also for the stage of development of the project and the associated probability of successful completion. The net cash flows were then discounted to present value using a discount rate of 10.0% for Adempas and 10.5% for vericiguat. Future sales based milestones will be accrued when probable and reasonably estimable. The Company and Bayer each have the right to terminate the agreement for cause on a product-by-product basis for all products being developed and commercialized under the agreement (other than Adempas for which Bayer has no termination rights) in the event of the other party’s material, uncured breach related to any such product. In September 2014, Merck and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (“Sun Pharma”) entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement for Merck’s investigational therapeutic antibody candidate, MK-3222, tildrakizumab, for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis, a skin ailment. Under terms of the agreement, Sun Pharma acquired worldwide rights to tildrakizumab for use in all human indications from Merck in exchange for an upfront payment of $80 million. Merck will continue all clinical development and regulatory activities, which will be funded by Sun Pharma. Upon product approval, Sun Pharma will be responsible for regulatory activities, including subsequent submissions, pharmacovigilance, post approval studies, manufacturing and commercialization of the approved product. Merck is also eligible to receive future payments associated with regulatory (including product approval) and sales milestones, as well as tiered royalties ranging from mid-single digit through teen percentage rates on sales. Merck recorded a loss of $47 million on the transaction included in Other (income) expense, net. In August 2014, Merck completed the acquisition of Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Idenix”) for approximately $3.9 billion in cash ($3.7 billion net of cash acquired). Idenix is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of medicines for the treatment of human viral diseases, whose primary focus is on the development of next-generation oral antiviral therapeutics to treat hepatitis C virus (“HCV”) infection. The transaction was accounted for as an acquisition of a business; accordingly, the assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded at their respective fair values as of the acquisition date. The determination of fair value requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions. Merck recognized an intangible asset for IPR&D of $3.2 billion related to MK-3682 (formerly IDX21437), net deferred tax liabilities of $856 million and other net assets and liabilities of approximately $20 million. MK-3682 is a nucleotide prodrug in Phase 2 clinical development being evaluated for potential inclusion in the development of all oral, pan-genotypic fixed-dose combination regimens. The excess of the consideration transferred over the fair value of net assets acquired of $1.4 billion was recorded as goodwill that was allocated to the Pharmaceutical segment and is not deductible for tax purposes. The fair value of the identifiable intangible asset related to IPR&D was determined using an income approach, through which fair value is estimated based upon the asset’s probability adjusted future net cash flows, which reflects the stage of development of the project and the associated probability of successful completion. The net cash flows were then discounted to present value using a discount rate of 11.5%. This transaction closed on August 5, 2014; accordingly, the results of operations of the acquired business have been included in the Company’s results of operations beginning after that date. Pro forma financial information has not been included because Idenix’s historical financial results are not significant when compared with the Company’s financial results. In May 2014, Merck entered into an agreement to sell certain ophthalmic products to Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Santen”) in Japan and markets in Europe and Asia Pacific. The ophthalmic products included in the agreement are Cosopt (dorzolamide hydrochloride-timolol maleate ophthalmic solution), Cosopt PF (dorzolamide hydrochloride-timolol maleate ophthalmic solution) 2%/0.5%, Trusopt (dorzolamide hydrochloride ophthalmic solution) sterile ophthalmic solution 2%, Trusopt PF (dorzolamide hydrochloride ophthalmic solution) preservative-free, Timoptic (timolol maleate ophthalmic solution), Timoptic PF (timolol maleate preservative free ophthalmic solution in unit dose dispenser), Timoptic XE (timolol maleate ophthalmic gel forming solution), Saflutan (tafluprost) and Taptiqom (tafluprost-timolol maleate ophthalmic solution, in development). The agreement provides that Santen make upfront payments and additional payments based on defined sales milestones. Santen will also purchase supply of ophthalmology products covered by the agreement for a two- to five-year period. Upon closing of the transaction in most markets on July 1, 2014, the Company received $515 million of upfront payments from Santen, net of certain adjustments, and an additional $50 million upon closing of the remaining markets on October 1, 2014. Merck recognized gains of $480 million on the transactions in 2014 included in Other (income) expense, net. In March 2014, Merck divested its Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. (“Sirna”) subsidiary to Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Alnylam”) for consideration of $25 million and 2,520,044 shares of Alnylam common stock. Merck is eligible to receive future payments associated with the achievement of certain regulatory and commercial milestones, as well as royalties on future sales. Under the terms of the agreement, Merck received 85% of the Alnylam shares in the first quarter of 2014 (valued at $172 million at the time of closing) and the remaining 15% of the shares in the second quarter of 2014 (valued at $22 million at the time the shares were received). Merck recorded gains of $204 million in 2014 related to this transaction that are included in Other (income) expense, net. The excess of Merck’s tax basis in its investment in Sirna over the value received resulted in an approximate $300 million tax benefit recorded in 2014. In January 2014, Merck sold the U.S. marketing rights to Saphris (asenapine), an antipsychotic indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder in adults to Forest Laboratories, Inc. (“Forest”). Under the terms of the agreement, Forest made upfront payments of $232 million, which were recorded in Sales in 2014, and will make additional payments to Merck based on defined sales milestones. In addition, as part of this transaction, Merck has agreed to supply product to Forest (subsequently acquired by Actavis plc) until patent expiry. In September 2013, Merck and AstraZeneca announced a worldwide out-licensing agreement for Merck’s oral small molecule inhibitor of WEE1 kinase (MK-1775) being evaluated in clinical studies in combination with standard-of-care therapies for the treatment of patients with certain types of ovarian cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca paid Merck a $50 million upfront fee, which the Company recorded as revenue. In addition, Merck will be eligible to receive future payments tied to development and regulatory milestones, plus sales-related payments and tiered royalties. AstraZeneca will be responsible for all future clinical development, manufacturing and marketing. In April 2013, Merck and Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”) announced a worldwide (except Japan) collaboration agreement for the development and commercialization of Pfizer’s ertugliflozin, an investigational oral sodium glucose cotransporter (“SGLT2”) inhibitor being evaluated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The Company has initiated Phase 3 clinical trials for ertugliflozin with Pfizer. Under the terms of the agreement, Merck and Pfizer will collaborate on the clinical development and commercialization of ertugliflozin and ertugliflozin-containing fixed-dose combinations with metformin and with Januvia (sitagliptin) tablets. Merck will continue to retain the rights to its existing portfolio of sitagliptin-containing products. Through the end of 2013, Merck recorded research and development expenses of $125 million for upfront and milestone payments made to Pfizer. Pfizer will be eligible for additional payments associated with the achievement of pre-specified future clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones. The companies will share potential revenues and certain costs 60% to Merck and 40% to Pfizer. Each party will have certain manufacturing and supply obligations. The Company and Pfizer each have the right to terminate the agreement due to a material, uncured breach by, or insolvency of, the other party, or in the event of a safety issue. Pfizer has the right to terminate the agreement upon 12 months notice at any time following the first anniversary of the first commercial sale of a collaboration product, but must assign all rights to ertugliflozin to Merck. Upon termination of the agreement, depending upon the circumstances, the parties have varying rights and obligations with respect to the continued development and commercialization of ertugliflozin and certain payment obligations. In February 2013, Merck and Supera Farma Laboratorios S.A. (“Supera”), a Brazilian pharmaceutical company co-owned by Cristália and Eurofarma, established a joint venture that markets, distributes and sells a portfolio of pharmaceutical and branded generic products from Merck, Cristália and Eurofarma in Brazil. Merck owns 51% of the joint venture, and Cristália and Eurofarma collectively own 49%. The transaction was accounted for as an acquisition of a business; accordingly, the assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded at their respective fair values. This resulted in Merck recognizing intangible assets for currently marketed products of $89 million, IPR&D of $100 million, goodwill of $103 million, and deferred tax liabilities of $64 million. The Company also recorded increases to Noncontrolling interests and Other paid-in capital in the amounts of $112 million and $116 million, respectively. This transaction closed on February 1, 2013; accordingly, the results of operations of the acquired business have been included in the Company’s results of operations beginning after that date. During 2014, as a result of changes in cash flow assumptions for certain compounds, the Company recorded $31 million of asset impairment charges related to IPR&D recorded in the Supera transaction. The changes in cash flow assumptions for these compounds, as well as for certain currently marketed products, also resulted in the write-off of the goodwill balance related to the joint venture with Supera, which was $93 million at existing exchange rates. The Company had previously recorded $15 million of impairment charges in the fourth quarter of 2013 related to the IPR&D recorded in the Supera transaction as a result of changes in cash flow assumptions for certain compounds. Remicade/Simponi In 1998, a subsidiary of Schering-Plough entered into a licensing agreement with Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. (“Centocor”), a Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”) company, to market Remicade, which is prescribed for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. In 2005, Schering-Plough’s subsidiary exercised an option under its contract with Centocor for license rights to develop and commercialize Simponi, a fully human monoclonal antibody. The Company has exclusive marketing rights to both products throughout Europe, Russia and Turkey. In December 2007, Schering-Plough and Centocor revised their distribution agreement regarding the development, commercialization and distribution of both Remicade and Simponi, extending the Company’s rights to exclusively market Remicade to match the duration of the Company’s exclusive marketing rights for Simponi. In addition, Schering-Plough and Centocor agreed to share certain development costs relating to Simponi’s auto-injector delivery system. On October 6, 2009, the European Commission approved Simponi as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other immune system disorders in two presentations — a novel auto-injector and a prefilled syringe. As a result, the Company’s marketing rights for both products extend for 15 years from the first commercial sale of Simponi in the European Union (the “EU”) following the receipt of pricing and reimbursement approval within the EU. Remicade lost market exclusivity in major European markets in February 2015. All profits derived from Merck’s exclusive distribution of the two products are equally divided between Merck and J&J.

Acquisitions, Divestitures, Research Collaborations and License Agreements

The Company continues its strategy of establishing external alliances to complement its substantial internal research capabilities, including research collaborations, licensing preclinical and clinical compounds to drive both near- and long-term growth. The Company supplements its internal research with a licensing and external alliance strategy focused on the entire spectrum of collaborations from early research to late-stage compounds, as well as access to new technologies. These arrangements often include upfront payments, as well as expense reimbursements or payments to the third party, and milestone, royalty or profit share payments, contingent upon the occurrence of certain future events linked to the success of the asset in development. The Company also reviews its pipeline to examine candidates which may provide more value through out-licensing and, as part of its portfolio assessment process, may also divest certain products.

In December 2014, Merck and Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Cubist”) announced a definitive agreement under which Merck would acquire Cubist for a total purchase price of approximately $9.5 billion. Cubist is a leader in the development of new therapies to treat serious and potentially life-threatening infections caused by a broad range of increasingly drug-resistant bacteria. This transaction closed on January 21, 2015; accordingly, the results of operations of the acquired business will be included in the Company’s results of operations beginning after that date.

Also in December 2014, Merck acquired OncoEthix, a privately held biotechnology company specializing in oncology drug development. Total purchase consideration in the transaction of $153 million included an upfront cash payment of $110 million and future additional milestone payments of up to $265 million that are contingent upon certain clinical and regulatory milestones being achieved, which the Company determined had a fair value of $43 million at the acquisition date. The transaction was accounted for as an acquisition of a business; accordingly, the assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded at their respective fair values as of the acquisition date. The determination of fair value requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions. Merck recognized an intangible asset for IPR&D of $143 million related to MK-8628 (formerly OTX015), an investigational, novel oral BET (bromodomain) inhibitor currently in Phase 2 studies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and advanced solid tumors, as well as a liability for contingent consideration of $43 million and other net assets and liabilities of $10 million. The fair value of the identifiable intangible asset related to IPR&D was determined using an income approach, through which fair value is estimated based upon the asset’s probability adjusted future net cash flows, which reflects the stage of development of the project and the associated probability of successful completion. The net cash flows were then discounted to present value using a discount rate of 11.5%. The fair value of the contingent consideration was determined utilizing a probability weighted estimated cash flow stream adjusted for the expected timing of each payment also utilizing a discount rate of 11.5%. This transaction closed on December 18, 2014; accordingly, the results of operations of the acquired business have been included in the Company’s results of operations beginning after that date. Pro forma financial information has not been included because OncoEthix’s historical financial results are not significant when compared with the Company’s financial results.

On October 1, 2014, the Company completed the sale of its Merck Consumer Care (“MCC”) business to Bayer AG (“Bayer”) for $14.2 billion ($14.0 billion net of cash divested), less customary closing adjustments as well as certain contingent amounts held back that will be payable upon the manufacturing site transfer in Canada and regulatory approval in Korea. Under the terms of the agreement, Bayer acquired Merck’s existing over-the-counter business, including the global trademark and prescription rights for Claritin and Afrin. The Company recognized a pretax gain from the sale of MCC of $11.2 billion in 2014.

Also on October 1, 2014, the Company entered into a worldwide clinical development collaboration with Bayer to market and develop its portfolio of soluble guanylate cyclase (“sGC”) modulators. This includes Bayer’s Adempas (riociguat), the first member of this novel class of compounds. Adempas is approved to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (“PAH”) and is the first and only drug treatment approved for patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (“CTEPH”). Adempas is currently marketed in the United States and Europe for both PAH and CTEPH and in Japan for CTEPH. The two companies will equally share costs and profits from the collaboration and implement a joint development and commercialization strategy. The collaboration also includes clinical development of Bayer’s vericiguat, which is currently in Phase 2 trials for worsening heart failure, as well as opt-in rights for other early-stage sGC compounds in development at Bayer. Merck will in turn make available its early-stage sGC compounds under similar terms. In return for these broad collaboration rights, Merck made an upfront payment to Bayer of $1.0 billion with the potential for additional milestone payments upon the achievement of agreed-upon sales goals. For Adempas, Bayer will continue to lead commercialization in the Americas, while Merck will lead commercialization in the rest of the world. For vericiguat and other potential opt-in products, Bayer will lead in the rest of world and Merck will lead in the Americas. For all products and candidates included in the agreement, both companies will share in development costs and profits on sales and will have the right to co-promote in territories where they are not the lead. The Company determined that Merck’s payment to access Bayer’s compounds constituted an acquisition of an asset. Of the $1.0 billion consideration paid by Merck, $915 million of fair value related to currently marketed product Adempas and was capitalized as an intangible asset subject to amortization over its estimated useful life of 12 years, and the remaining $85 million of fair value related to the vericiguat compound currently in clinical development and expensed within Research and development expenses. The fair values of Adempas and vericiguat were determined using an income approach, through which fair value is estimated based upon probability adjusted future net cash flows, and for vericiguat also for the stage of development of the project and the associated probability of successful completion. The net cash flows were then discounted to present value using a discount rate of 10.0% for Adempas and 10.5% for vericiguat. Future sales based milestones will be accrued when probable and reasonably estimable. The Company and Bayer each have the right to terminate the agreement for cause on a product-by-product basis for all products being developed and commercialized under the agreement (other than Adempas for which Bayer has no termination rights) in the event of the other party’s material, uncured breach related to any such product.

In September 2014, Merck and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (“Sun Pharma”) entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement for Merck’s investigational therapeutic antibody candidate, MK-3222, tildrakizumab, for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis, a skin ailment. Under terms of the agreement, Sun Pharma acquired worldwide rights to tildrakizumab for use in all human indications from Merck in exchange for an upfront payment of $80 million. Merck will continue all clinical development and regulatory activities, which will be funded by Sun Pharma. Upon product approval, Sun Pharma will be responsible for regulatory activities, including subsequent submissions, pharmacovigilance, post approval studies, manufacturing and commercialization of the approved product. Merck is also eligible to receive future payments associated with regulatory (including product approval) and sales milestones, as well as tiered royalties ranging from mid-single digit through teen percentage rates on sales. Merck recorded a loss of $47 million on the transaction included in Other (income) expense, net.

In August 2014, Merck completed the acquisition of Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Idenix”) for approximately $3.9 billion in cash ($3.7 billion net of cash acquired). Idenix is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of medicines for the treatment of human viral diseases, whose primary focus is on the development of next-generation oral antiviral therapeutics to treat hepatitis C virus (“HCV”) infection. The transaction was accounted for as an acquisition of a business; accordingly, the assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded at their respective fair values as of the acquisition date. The determination of fair value requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions. Merck recognized an intangible asset for IPR&D of $3.2 billion related to MK-3682 (formerly IDX21437), net deferred tax liabilities of $856 million and other net assets and liabilities of approximately $20 million. MK-3682 is a nucleotide prodrug in Phase 2 clinical development being evaluated for potential inclusion in the development of all oral, pan-genotypic fixed-dose combination regimens. The excess of the consideration transferred over the fair value of net assets acquired of $1.4 billion was recorded as goodwill that was allocated to the Pharmaceutical segment and is not deductible for tax purposes. The fair value of the identifiable intangible asset related to IPR&D was determined using an income approach, through which fair value is estimated based upon the asset’s probability adjusted future net cash flows, which reflects the stage of development of the project and the associated probability of successful completion. The net cash flows were then discounted to present value using a discount rate of 11.5%. This transaction closed on August 5, 2014; accordingly, the results of operations of the acquired business have been included in the Company’s results of operations beginning after that date. Pro forma financial information has not been included because Idenix’s historical financial results are not significant when compared with the Company’s financial results.

In May 2014, Merck entered into an agreement to sell certain ophthalmic products to Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Santen”) in Japan and markets in Europe and Asia Pacific. The ophthalmic products included in the agreement are Cosopt (dorzolamide hydrochloride-timolol maleate ophthalmic solution), Cosopt PF (dorzolamide hydrochloride-timolol maleate ophthalmic solution) 2%/0.5%, Trusopt (dorzolamide hydrochloride ophthalmic solution) sterile ophthalmic solution 2%, Trusopt PF (dorzolamide hydrochloride ophthalmic solution) preservative-free, Timoptic (timolol maleate ophthalmic solution), Timoptic PF (timolol maleate preservative free ophthalmic solution in unit dose dispenser), Timoptic XE (timolol maleate ophthalmic gel forming solution), Saflutan (tafluprost) and Taptiqom (tafluprost-timolol maleate ophthalmic solution, in development). The agreement provides that Santen make upfront payments and additional payments based on defined sales milestones. Santen will also purchase supply of ophthalmology products covered by the agreement for a two- to five-year period. Upon closing of the transaction in most markets on July 1, 2014, the Company received $515 million of upfront payments from Santen, net of certain adjustments, and an additional $50 million upon closing of the remaining markets on October 1, 2014. Merck recognized gains of $480 million on the transactions in 2014 included in Other (income) expense, net.

In March 2014, Merck divested its Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. (“Sirna”) subsidiary to Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Alnylam”) for consideration of $25 million and 2,520,044 shares of Alnylam common stock. Merck is eligible to receive future payments associated with the achievement of certain regulatory and commercial milestones, as well as royalties on future sales. Under the terms of the agreement, Merck received 85% of the Alnylam shares in the first quarter of 2014 (valued at $172 million at the time of closing) and the remaining 15% of the shares in the second quarter of 2014 (valued at $22 million at the time the shares were received). Merck recorded gains of $204 million in 2014 related to this transaction that are included in Other (income) expense, net. The excess of Merck’s tax basis in its investment in Sirna over the value received resulted in an approximate $300 million tax benefit recorded in 2014.

In January 2014, Merck sold the U.S. marketing rights to Saphris (asenapine), an antipsychotic indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder in adults to Forest Laboratories, Inc. (“Forest”). Under the terms of the agreement, Forest made upfront payments of $232 million, which were recorded in Sales in 2014, and will make additional payments to Merck based on defined sales milestones. In addition, as part of this transaction, Merck has agreed to supply product to Forest (subsequently acquired by Actavis plc) until patent expiry.

In September 2013, Merck and AstraZeneca announced a worldwide out-licensing agreement for Merck’s oral small molecule inhibitor of WEE1 kinase (MK-1775) being evaluated in clinical studies in combination with standard-of-care therapies for the treatment of patients with certain types of ovarian cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca paid Merck a $50 million upfront fee, which the Company recorded as revenue. In addition, Merck will be eligible to receive future payments tied to development and regulatory milestones, plus sales-related payments and tiered royalties. AstraZeneca will be responsible for all future clinical development, manufacturing and marketing.

In April 2013, Merck and Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”) announced a worldwide (except Japan) collaboration agreement for the development and commercialization of Pfizer’s ertugliflozin, an investigational oral sodium glucose cotransporter (“SGLT2”) inhibitor being evaluated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The Company has initiated Phase 3 clinical trials for ertugliflozin with Pfizer. Under the terms of the agreement, Merck and Pfizer will collaborate on the clinical development and commercialization of ertugliflozin and ertugliflozin-containing fixed-dose combinations with metformin and with Januvia (sitagliptin) tablets. Merck will continue to retain the rights to its existing portfolio of sitagliptin-containing products. Through the end of 2013, Merck recorded research and development expenses of $125 million for upfront and milestone payments made to Pfizer. Pfizer will be eligible for additional payments associated with the achievement of pre-specified future clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones. The companies will share potential revenues and certain costs 60% to Merck and 40% to Pfizer. Each party will have certain manufacturing and supply obligations. The Company and Pfizer each have the right to terminate the agreement due to a material, uncured breach by, or insolvency of, the other party, or in the event of a safety issue. Pfizer has the right to terminate the agreement upon 12 months notice at any time following the first anniversary of the first commercial sale of a collaboration product, but must assign all rights to ertugliflozin to Merck. Upon termination of the agreement, depending upon the circumstances, the parties have varying rights and obligations with respect to the continued development and commercialization of ertugliflozin and certain payment obligations.

In February 2013, Merck and Supera Farma Laboratorios S.A. (“Supera”), a Brazilian pharmaceutical company co-owned by Cristália and Eurofarma, established a joint venture that markets, distributes and sells a portfolio of pharmaceutical and branded generic products from Merck, Cristália and Eurofarma in Brazil. Merck owns 51% of the joint venture, and Cristália and Eurofarma collectively own 49%. The transaction was accounted for as an acquisition of a business; accordingly, the assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded at their respective fair values. This resulted in Merck recognizing intangible assets for currently marketed products of $89 million, IPR&D of $100 million, goodwill of $103 million, and deferred tax liabilities of $64 million. The Company also recorded increases to Noncontrolling interests and Other paid-in capital in the amounts of $112 million and $116 million, respectively. This transaction closed on February 1, 2013; accordingly, the results of operations of the acquired business have been included in the Company’s results of operations beginning after that date. During 2014, as a result of changes in cash flow assumptions for certain compounds, the Company recorded $31 million of asset impairment charges related to IPR&D recorded in the Supera transaction. The changes in cash flow assumptions for these compounds, as well as for certain currently marketed products, also resulted in the write-off of the goodwill balance related to the joint venture with Supera, which was $93 million at existing exchange rates. The Company had previously recorded $15 million of impairment charges in the fourth quarter of 2013 related to the IPR&D recorded in the Supera transaction as a result of changes in cash flow assumptions for certain compounds.

Remicade/Simponi

In 1998, a subsidiary of Schering-Plough entered into a licensing agreement with Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. (“Centocor”), a Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”) company, to market Remicade, which is prescribed for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. In 2005, Schering-Plough’s subsidiary exercised an option under its contract with Centocor for license rights to develop and commercialize Simponi, a fully human monoclonal antibody. The Company has exclusive marketing rights to both products throughout Europe, Russia and Turkey. In December 2007, Schering-Plough and Centocor revised their distribution agreement regarding the development, commercialization and distribution of both Remicade and Simponi, extending the Company’s rights to exclusively market Remicade to match the duration of the Company’s exclusive marketing rights for Simponi. In addition, Schering-Plough and Centocor agreed to share certain development costs relating to Simponi’s auto-injector delivery system. On October 6, 2009, the European Commission approved Simponi as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other immune system disorders in two presentations — a novel auto-injector and a prefilled syringe. As a result, the Company’s marketing rights for both products extend for 15 years from the first commercial sale of Simponi in the European Union (the “EU”) following the receipt of pricing and reimbursement approval within the EU. Remicade lost market exclusivity in major European markets in February 2015. All profits derived from Merck’s exclusive distribution of the two products are equally divided between Merck and J&J.