AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO FORM S-3

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 10, 2004

Registration No. 333-118186

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

AMENDMENT NO. 1

TO

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Merck & Co., Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)


New Jersey (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)		22-1109110 (IRS Employer Identification Number)

P.O. Box 100, One Merck Drive
Whitehouse Station, New Jersey 08889-0100
(908) 423-1000
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

Celia A. Colbert

Vice President, Secretary & Assistant General Counsel

Merck & Co., Inc.

P.O. Box 100, One Merck Drive

Whitehouse Station, New Jersey 08889-0100

(908) 423-1000

(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

Copies to:


Kenneth C. Frazier, Esq. Merck & Co., Inc. P.O. Box 100, One Merck Drive Whitehouse Station, New Jersey 08889-0100 (908) 423-1000		Ann Bailen Fisher, Esq. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP 125 Broad Street New York, New York 10004-2498 (212) 558-4000

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. o

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. x

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o

If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, please check the following box. o

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to Completion, Dated December 10, 2004.

$3,817,795,000

(MERCK LOGO)

Merck & Co., Inc.

Debt Securities

Merck & Co., Inc. may from time to time issue debt securities at an aggregate initial offering price of up to $3,817,795,000 or the equivalent in other currencies, currency units or composite currencies. The accompanying prospectus supplement will specify the terms of the debt securities.

Merck & Co., Inc. may sell these debt securities to or through underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, on a delayed or continuous basis.

This prospectus describes some of the general terms that may apply to the debt securities and the general manner in which they may be offered. The specific terms of the debt securities, and the specific manner in which they may be offered, including the names of any underwriters or agents, will be described in a supplement to this prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Prospectus dated , 2004.

MERCK

We are a global research-driven pharmaceutical products company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of innovative products to improve human and animal health, directly and through our joint ventures. Our products include therapeutic and preventive agents, generally sold by prescription, for the treatment of human disorders. Among these are atherosclerosis products, hypertension/heart failure products, anti-inflammatory/analgesics agents, an osteoporosis product, a respiratory product, vaccines/biologicals, anti-bacterial/anti-fungal products, opthamologicals, a urology product, HIV products and other products.

We were incorporated in the State of New Jersey in 1927 and maintain our principal offices at Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. Our address is P.O. Box 100, One Merck Drive, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey 08889-0100, and our telephone number is (908) 423-1000.

The terms “Merck”, “we”, “us” or “our” generally refer to Merck & Co., Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, except that only Merck & Co., Inc. legally will be the issuer of the debt securities offered under this prospectus.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

On September 30, 2004, we announced a voluntary worldwide withdrawal of Vioxx, our arthritis and acute pain medication, based on data from a placebo-controlled clinical trial in which there was an increased relative risk for confirmed cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, beginning after 18 months of treatment in the patients taking Vioxx compared to those taking placebo. Numerous product liability, securities and other lawsuits relating to Vioxx have been brought against us, and additional lawsuits continue to be brought. We are also subject to government investigations relating to Vioxx. These proceedings and any other suits or proceedings relating to Vioxx that may arise are expected to continue for an undetermined number of years. For a detailed discussion of our withdrawal of Vioxx, its impact on our financial statements and various legal proceedings and investigations related to Vioxx, see pages 15-16 and 21-22 in our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004. A series of highly unfavorable outcomes in legal proceedings or investigations against us related to Vioxx could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, liquidity and results of operations.

The loss of sales of Vioxx and the expected reduction in sales of Zocor (our statin for modifying cholesterol and currently our largest revenue-producing product) due to the expiration of its U.S. patent protection in 2006 mean that our future success is dependent on our pipeline of new products, including new products which we are able to obtain through license or acquisition. For a discussion of our research and developments efforts and Arcoxia, see pages 16 and 18-20 in our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004 and pages 9-12 in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003. We cannot state with certainty when or whether any of our products now under development will be launched; whether we will be able to develop, license or otherwise acquire compounds, product candidates or products; or whether any products, once launched, will be commercially successful. Lack of success in developing, licensing or acquiring new products, or a series of highly unfavorable outcomes in legal proceedings or investigations or in tax proceedings that have been disclosed, could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, liquidity and results of operations.

RATIOS OF EARNINGS TO
FIXED CHARGES

Our consolidated ratios of earnings to fixed charges for the six months ended September 30, 2004 and each of the fiscal years ended December 31, 1999 through 2003 are as follows:


Nine Months
Ended September 30	Years Ended December 31,
2004	2003		2002		2001		2000		1999
15		15		15		13		12		16

For purposes of computing these ratios, “earnings” consist of income from continuing operations before taxes, one-third of rents (deemed by Merck to be representative of the interest factor inherent in rents), interest expense, net of amounts capitalized, equity (income) loss from affiliates, net of distributions, and dividends on preferred stock of subsidiary companies. “Fixed charges” consist of one-third of rents, interest expense as reported in Merck’s consolidated financial statements and dividends on preferred stock of subsidiary companies.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise indicated in the accompanying prospectus supplement, we will use the net proceeds from the sale of the debt securities for general corporate purposes, including the reduction of short-term debt. We may temporarily invest funds that we do not immediately need for these purposes in short-term marketable securities.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
WE MAY OFFER

General

In this description “you” means direct holders and not street name or other indirect holders of debt securities. Indirect holders should read information, beginning on page 13, entitled “— Legal Ownership and Book-Entry Issuance”.

The debt securities are not secured by any of our property or assets. Accordingly, your ownership of debt securities means you are one of our unsecured creditors. The debt securities are not subordinated to any of our other debt obligations and therefore they rank equally with all our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness.

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As required by federal law for all bonds and notes that are publicly offered, a document called the indenture governs the debt securities. The indenture is a contract, dated as of April 1, 1991, which we amended once and may amend further in the future, between us and U.S. Bank Trust National Association, which acts as trustee. The trustee has two main roles. First, the trustee can enforce your rights against us if we default. There are some limitations on the extent to which the trustee acts on your behalf, described on page 12 under “— Remedies if an Event of Default Occurs”. Second, the trustee performs administrative duties for us, such as sending you interest payments, registering transfers of your debt securities to a new buyer if you sell and sending you notices.

The indenture and its associated documents contain the full legal text of the matters described in this section. New York law governs the indenture and will govern the debt securities. The indenture is an exhibit to our registration statement. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page 29 for information on how to obtain a copy.

We may issue as many distinct series of debt securities under the indenture as we wish. There is no limit on the amount of debt securities we may issue under the indenture. Also, the provisions of the indenture allow us both to issue debt securities with terms different from those previously issued under the indenture, and also to “reopen” a previous issue of a series of debt securities and issue additional debt securities of that series. We may issue debt securities in amounts that exceed the total amount specified on the cover of your prospectus supplement at any time without your consent and without notifying you.

This section summarizes all the material terms of the debt securities that are common to all series unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement relating to a particular series. Because this section is a summary, it does not describe every aspect of the debt securities and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to all the provisions of the indenture, including definitions of some of the terms used in the indenture. We describe the meaning for only some of the important terms. We also include references in parentheses to some sections of the indenture. Whenever we refer to particular sections or defined terms of the indenture in this prospectus or in the prospectus supplement, we incorporate by reference those sections or defined terms here or in the prospectus supplement.

We may issue the debt securities as original issue discount securities, which we would offer and sell at a substantial discount below their stated principal amount. (section 101) A prospectus supplement relating to original issue discount securities will describe federal income tax consequences and other special considerations applicable to them. We may also issue the debt securities as indexed securities or securities denominated in foreign currencies, currency units or composite currencies, as described in more detail in a prospectus supplement relating to any of these types of debt securities. A prospectus supplement relating to indexed debt securities or foreign currency debt securities will also describe any additional tax consequences or other special considerations applicable to these types of debt securities.

In addition, we will describe the material specific financial, legal and other terms particular to debt securities of each series in a prospectus supplement relating to debt securities of that series. A prospectus supplement relating to debt securities of a series will describe the following terms of the debt securities:

• the title of the debt securities of the series;

• any limit on the total principal amount of the debt securities of the series;

• the person to whom interest on a debt security is payable, if other than the holder on the regular record date;

• the date or dates on which the debt securities of the series are scheduled to mature;

• any rate or rates, which may be fixed or variable, per annum at which the debt securities of the series will bear interest, if any, and the date or dates from which any interest will accrue;

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• the date or dates on which any interest on the debt securities of the series will be payable and the regular record date or dates we will use to determine who is entitled to receive each interest payment;

• the place or places where the principal and any premium and interest will be payable;

• any date after which, or any period or periods within which, and the price or prices at which, we will have the option to redeem the debt securities of the series, and the other detailed terms and provisions of any optional redemption right;

• any obligation we will have to redeem the debt securities of the series under a sinking fund or analogous provision or to redeem your debt securities at your option and the period or periods during which, the price or prices at which and the other specific terms under which, we would be obligated to redeem the debt securities of the series under any obligation of this kind;

• if other than denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples thereof, the denominations in which we will issue the debt securities of the series;

• if other than United States dollars, the currency of payment of the principal and any premium and interest on the debt securities of the series;

• any index or other special method we will use to determine the amount of principal or any premium or interest we will pay on the debt securities of the series;

• if we or you have a right to choose the currency, currency units or composite currencies in which payments on any of the debt securities of the series will be made, the currencies, currency units or composite currencies that we or you may elect, when we or you may make the election and the other specific terms of the right to make an election of this kind;

• if other than the principal amount, the portion of the principal amount of the debt securities of the series which will be payable upon the declaration of acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities of the series;

• the applicability of the provisions described on page 10 under “— Defeasance”;

• if we will issue the debt securities of the series only in the form of global securities as described below under “— Global Securities”, the name of the depository for the debt securities of the series and the circumstances under which the trustee may terminate the global securities and register separate debt securities in the names of persons other than the depository or its nominee if other than those circumstances described on page 14 under “— Special Situations When a Global Security will be Terminated”; and

• any other special terms of the debt securities of the series that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the indenture.

We will attach the prospectus supplement relating to the debt securities of the series to the front of this prospectus.

We may issue debt securities other than the debt securities described in this prospectus. There is no requirement that we issue any other debt securities under the indenture. Thus, we may issue any other debt securities under other indentures or documentation, containing provisions different from those included in the indenture or applicable to one or more issues of the debt securities described in this prospectus.

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Overview of Remainder of this Description

The remainder of this description summarizes:

• Additional mechanics relevant to the debt securities under normal circumstances, such as how you transfer ownership and where we make payments.

• Your rights under several special situations, such as if we merge with another company or if we want to change a term of the debt securities.

• Restrictive covenants contained in the indenture which specify particular business actions that we promise not to take. Particular debt securities of a series may have additional restrictive covenants.

• Our right to release ourselves from all or some of our obligations under the debt securities and the indenture by a process called defeasance.

• Your rights if we default or experience other financial difficulties.

• Our relationship with the trustee.

Additional Mechanics

Form, Exchange and Registration of Transfer

We will issue the debt securities:

• only in fully registered form;

• without interest coupons; and

• unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000. (section 302)

You may have your debt securities broken into more debt securities of smaller denominations of not less than $1,000 or combined into fewer debt securities of larger denominations, as long as the total principal amount is not changed. (section 305) This is called an exchange.

You may exchange or register a transfer of debt securities at the office of the trustee. You may also replace lost, stolen or mutilated debt securities at that office. The trustee acts as our agent for registering debt securities in the names of holders and registering transfers of debt securities. We may change this appointment to another entity or perform it ourselves. The entity performing the role of maintaining the list of registered direct holders is called the security registrar. It will also register transfers. (section 305) The trustee’s agent may require an indemnity before replacing any debt securities.

You will not be required to pay a service charge to register a transfer of debt securities or to exchange debt securities, but you may be required to pay for any tax or other governmental charge associated with the transfer or exchange. The security registrar will make the registration of transfer or exchange only if it is satisfied with your proof of ownership. (section 305)

If we have designated additional transfer agents, they are named in the prospectus supplement. We may cancel the designation of any particular transfer agent. We may also approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts. (section 1002)

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If the debt securities are redeemable and we redeem less than all of the debt securities of a particular series, we may block the registration of transfer or exchange of debt securities during the period beginning 15 days before the day we mail the notice of redemption and ending on the day of that mailing, in order to freeze the list of holders to prepare the mailing. We may also refuse to register transfers or exchanges of debt securities selected for redemption, except that we will continue to permit transfers and exchanges of the unredeemed portion of any debt security being partially redeemed. (section 305)

The rules for exchange described above apply to exchange of debt securities for other debt securities of the same series and tenor.

Payment and Paying Agents

We will pay interest to you on each date interest is due if you are a direct holder listed in the trustee’s records at the close of business on a particular day in advance of each due date for interest, even if you no longer own the debt security on the interest due date. That particular day, usually about two weeks in advance of the interest due date, is called the regular record date and is stated in the prospectus supplement. (section 307) Holders buying and selling debt securities must work out between them how to compensate for the fact that we will pay all the interest for an interest period to the one who is the registered holder on the regular record date. The most common manner is to adjust the sales price of the debt securities to pro-rate interest fairly between buyer and seller. This pro-rated interest amount is called accrued interest.

Unless otherwise stated in the prospectus supplement, we will pay interest, principal and any other money due on the debt securities at the corporate trust office of the trustee in New York City. (section 1002) That office is currently located at 100 Wall Street, 16th floor, New York, New York 10005. You must make arrangements to have your payments picked up at or wired from that office. We may also choose to pay interest by mailing checks.

Street name and other indirect holders should consult their banks or brokers for information on how they will receive payments.

We may also arrange for additional payment offices, and may cancel or change these offices, including our use of the trustee’s corporate trust office. These offices are called paying agents. We may also choose to act as our own paying agent. We must notify you of changes in the paying agents for any particular debt securities of the series. (section 1002)

Notices

We and the trustee will send notices regarding the debt securities only to direct holders, using their addresses as listed in the trustee’s records. (sections 101 and 106)

All paying agents must return to us all money paid by us that remains unclaimed two years after the amount is due to direct holders. After that two-year period, you may look only to us for payment and not to the trustee, any other paying agent or anyone else. (section 1003)

Special Situations

Mergers and Similar Events

We may consolidate or merge with another company or firm. We may also sell or lease substantially all of our assets to another firm, or to buy or lease substantially all of the assets of another firm. However, we may not take any of these actions unless the following conditions, among others, are met:

• When we merge out of existence or sell or lease substantially all our assets, the other firm must be a corporation, partnership or trust organized under the laws of a U.S. state or the District of Columbia or under Federal law and it must agree to be legally responsible for the debt securities.

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• The merger, sale of assets or other transaction must not cause a default on the debt securities, and we must not already be in default unless the merger or other transaction would cure the default. For purposes of this no-default test, a default would include an event of default, as described on page 11, that has occurred and not been cured. A default for this purpose would also include the occurrence of any event that would be an event of default if we received the required notice of our default or if under the indenture the default would become an event of default after existing for a specific period of time. (section 801)

• It is possible that the merger, sale of assets or other transaction would cause some of our property to become subject to a mortgage or other legal mechanism giving lenders preferential rights in that property over other lenders or over our general creditors if we fail to pay them back. We have promised to limit these preferential rights, as discussed under “— Restrictive Covenants” on pages 8 through 10. If a merger or other transaction would create any liens on any of our property we must comply with those restrictive covenants. We would do this either by deciding that the liens were permitted, or by following the requirements of the restrictive covenants to grant an equivalent or higher-ranking lien to you and the other direct holders of the debt securities on the same property that we own.

If the conditions described above are satisfied with respect to any series of debt securities, we will not need to obtain the approval of the holders of those debt securities in order to merge or consolidate or to sell our assets. Also, these conditions will apply only if we wish to merge or consolidate with another entity or sell substantially all of our assets to another entity. We will not need to satisfy these conditions if we enter into other types of transactions, including any transaction in which we acquire the stock or assets of another entity, any transaction that involves a change of control but in which we do not merge or consolidate and any transaction in which we sell less than substantially all of our assets. It is possible that this type of transaction may result in a reduction in our credit rating, may reduce our operating results or may impair our financial condition. However, you will have no approval right with respect to any transaction of this type.

Modification and Waiver

There are three types of changes we can make to the indenture and the debt securities.

Changes Requiring Your Approval. First, there are changes that cannot be made to your debt securities without your specific approval. Following is a list of those types of changes:

• change the payment due date of any installment of the principal or any premium or interest on a debt security stated in the debt security;

• reduce any amounts due on a debt security;

• reduce the amount of principal payable upon acceleration of the maturity of an original issue discount debt security following a default;

• change the place or currency of payment on a debt security;

• impair your right to sue for payment;

• reduce the percentage of debt securities the holders of which must consent to modify or amend the indenture;

• reduce the percentage of debt securities the holders of which must consent to waive compliance with certain provisions of the indenture or to waive certain defaults; and

• modify any other aspect of the provisions dealing with modification and waiver of the indenture. (section 902)

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Changes Requiring a Majority Vote. The second type of change to the indenture and the debt securities is the kind that requires a vote in favor by direct holders owning not less than a majority of the principal amount of the debt securities of the particular series affected. (section 902) Most changes fall into this category, such as if we wish to obtain a waiver of all or part of the restrictive covenants described below, or a waiver of a past default. However, we cannot obtain a waiver of a payment default or any other aspect of the indenture or the debt securities listed in the first category above under “— Changes Requiring Your Approval” unless we obtain your individual consent to the waiver. (section 513)

Changes Not Requiring Approval. The third type of change does not require any vote by holders of debt securities. This type is limited to corrections and clarifications and other changes that would not adversely affect holders of the debt securities. (section 901)

Further Details Concerning Voting. When taking a vote, we will use the following rules to decide how much principal amount to attribute to a debt security:

• For original issue discount securities, we will use the principal amount that would be due and payable on the voting date if the maturity of the debt securities were accelerated to that date because of a default.

• For debt securities for which the principal amount is undetermined because, for example, it is based on an index, we will use a special rule for that series of debt security that we will describe in the prospectus supplement.

• For debt securities denominated in one or more foreign currencies or currency units, we will use the U.S. dollar equivalent.

Debt securities will not be considered outstanding and therefore will not carry voting rights if we have deposited or set aside in trust for you money for their payment or redemption. Debt securities will also not be eligible to vote if they have been fully defeased as described on page 10 under “— Full Defeasance”. (section 101)

We may set any day as a record date for the purpose of determining the direct holders of outstanding debt securities that are entitled to vote or take other action under the indenture. (section 301) In some circumstances, the trustee may set a record date for action by direct holders.

Street name and other indirect holders should consult their banks or brokers for information on how approval may be granted or denied if we seek to change the indenture or the debt securities or request a waiver.

Restrictive Covenants

In the following description of restrictive covenants, we use several specialized terms without explaining the meaning when we use the terms. We define these terms, which appear in bold, italicized type without quotation marks the first time they appear, in “— Definitions Relating to our Restrictive Covenants” at the end of this subsection on page 9.

Restrictions on Secured Debt. Some of our property may be subject to a mortgage or other legal mechanism that gives our lenders preferential rights in that property over other lenders, including you and the other direct holders of the debt securities, or over our general creditors if we fail to pay them back. These preferential rights are called liens. Debt which is protected by these preferential rights is called secured debt. In the indenture, we promise that we will not incur any new secured debt that is secured by a lien on any of our principal domestic manufacturing properties, or on any shares of stock or debt of any of our domestic subsidiaries, unless we grant an equivalent or higher-ranking lien on the same property to you and the other direct holders of the debt securities.

We do not need to comply with this restriction if the amount of all debt that would be secured by liens on principal domestic manufacturing properties, including the new debt, the debt securities which we would so secure

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as described in the previous sentence, and all attributable debt, that results from a sale and leaseback transaction involving principal domestic manufacturing properties, is less than 10% of our consolidated net tangible assets.

This restriction on secured debt does not apply to debt secured by certain types of liens, and we can disregard this secured debt when we calculate the limits imposed by this restriction. These types of liens are:

• liens on the property of any of our domestic subsidiaries, or on their shares of stock or debt, if those liens existed at the time the corporation became our domestic subsidiary;

• liens in favor of us or our domestic subsidiaries;

• liens in favor of U.S. governmental bodies that we granted in order to assure our payments to such bodies that we owe by law or because of a contract we entered into;

• liens on property that existed at the time we acquired the property, including property we may acquire through a merger or similar transaction, or that we granted in order to purchase the property, which are sometimes called purchase money mortgages; and

• debt secured by liens that extend, renew or replace any of these types of liens.

We and our subsidiaries may have as much unsecured debt as we may choose. (section 1008)

Restrictions on Sales and Leasebacks. We promise that neither we nor any of our domestic subsidiaries will enter into any sale and leaseback transaction involving a principal domestic manufacturing property, unless we comply with this restrictive covenant. A sale and leaseback transaction generally is an arrangement between us or a domestic subsidiary and a bank, insurance company or other lender or investor where we or the domestic subsidiary sell a property to a lender or investor more than 120 days after the completion of construction of the property and the beginning of its full operation and we lease the property back from the lender.

We can comply with this restrictive covenant in either of two ways:

• First, we will be in compliance if we or our domestic subsidiary could grant a lien on the principal domestic manufacturing property in an amount equal to the attributable debt for the sale and leaseback transaction without being required to grant an equivalent or higher-ranking lien to you and the other direct holders of the debt securities under the restriction on secured debt described above.

• Second, we can comply if we retire an amount of funded debt, within 120 days of the transaction, equal to at least the net proceeds of the sale of the principal domestic manufacturing property that we lease in the transaction or the fair value of that property, subject to credits for voluntary retirements of debt securities and funded debt we may make, whichever is greater.

This restriction on sales and leasebacks does not apply to any sale and leaseback transaction that is between us and one of our domestic subsidiaries or between domestic subsidiaries, or that involves a lease for a period of three years or less. (section 1009)

Definitions Relating to our Restrictive Covenants. Following are the meanings of the terms that are important in understanding the restrictive covenants previously described:

• “Attributable debt” means the total net amount of rent, discounted at 1% per annum compounded semi-annually, that is required to be paid during the remaining term of any lease.

• “Consolidated net tangible assets” is the total amount of assets, less reserves and certain other permitted deductible items, after subtracting all current liabilities and all goodwill, trade names, trademarks, patents, unamortized debt discounts and expenses and similar intangible assets, as

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such amounts appear on our most recent consolidated balance sheet and computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

• A “domestic subsidiary” means any of our subsidiaries which transacts substantially all of its business in the United States, has substantially all of its fixed assets located in the United States, or owns or leases principal domestic manufacturing property. However, a subsidiary whose principal business is financing our operations outside of the United States is not a domestic subsidiary. A subsidiary is a corporation in which we and/or one or more of our other subsidiaries owns at least 50% of the voting stock, which is a kind of stock that ordinarily permits its owners to vote for the election of directors.

• “Funded debt” means all debt for borrowed money that either has a maturity of 12 months or more from the date on which the calculation of funded debt is made or has a maturity of less than 12 months from that date but is by its terms renewable or extendible beyond 12 months from that date at the option of the borrower.

• A “principal domestic manufacturing property” is any building or other structure or facility, and the land on which it sits and its associated fixtures, that we use primarily for manufacturing or processing and that is located in the United States, other than a building, structure or other facility that our board of directors has determined is not of material importance to the total business that we and our subsidiaries conduct or a building or structure which is financed by obligations issued by a U.S. governmental entity, the interest of which is excludable from gross income of the holders under provisions of the tax code.

Defeasance

The following discussion of full defeasance and covenant defeasance will be applicable to your debt securities only if we choose to have those provisions apply to securities of that series. If we do so choose, we will state that in the prospectus supplement. (section 1301)

Full Defeasance. If there is a change in federal tax law, as described below, we can legally release ourselves from any payment or other obligations on the debt securities of a series if we put in place other arrangements for you to be repaid. This is called full defeasance. In order to achieve full defeasance, we must do the following:

• We must deposit in trust for your benefit and the benefit of all other direct holders of the debt securities of the series any combination of money and U.S. government or U.S. government agency notes or bonds that will generate enough cash to make interest, principal and any other payments on the debt securities of that series on their various due dates.

• There must be a change in current federal tax law or an IRS ruling that lets us make the above deposit without causing you to be taxed on the debt securities any differently than if we did not make the deposit and just repaid the debt securities ourselves. (Under current federal tax law, the deposit and our legal release from the debt securities would be treated as though we took back your debt securities and gave you your share of the cash and notes or bonds deposited in trust. In that event, you could recognize gain or loss on the debt securities you give back to us.)

• We must deliver to the trustee a legal opinion of our counsel confirming the tax law change described above.

If we ever did accomplish full defeasance, as described above, you would have to rely solely on the trust deposit for repayment on the debt securities. You could not look to us for repayment in the unlikely event of any shortfall. (sections 1302 and 1304)

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Covenant Defeasance. Under current federal tax law, we can make the same type of deposit described above and be released from some of the restrictive covenants in the debt securities. This is called covenant defeasance. In that event, you would lose the protection of those restrictive covenants but would gain the protection of having money and securities set aside in trust to repay the debt securities. In order to achieve covenant defeasance of the debt securities of a series, we must do the following:

• We must deliver to the trustee a legal opinion of our counsel confirming that under current federal income tax law we may make the above deposit without causing you to be taxed on the debt securities any differently than if we did not make the deposit and just repaid the debt securities ourselves.

If we accomplish covenant defeasance, the following provisions of the indenture and the debt securities would no longer apply:

• Our promises regarding conduct of our business previously described on pages 8 through 10 under “— Restrictive Covenants”, and any other similar covenants applicable to the debt securities of the series and described in the prospectus supplement.

• The condition regarding the treatment of liens when we merge or engage in similar transactions, as described on page 6 under “— Mergers and Similar Events”.

• The events of default relating to breach of covenants and acceleration of the maturity of other debt, described below under “— Default and Remedies — Events of Default — What Is an Event of Default?”

If we accomplish covenant defeasance, you can still look to us for repayment of the debt securities if there were a shortfall in the trust deposit. In fact, if one of the remaining events of default occurred, such as our bankruptcy, and the debt securities become immediately due and payable, there may be such a shortfall in the trust deposit. (sections 1303 and 1304)

Default and Remedies — Events of Default

You will have special rights if an event of default occurs and is not cured, as described later in this subsection.

What Is an Event of Default?

The term event of default means any of the following:

• We do not pay the principal or any premium on a debt security of your series on its due date.

• We do not pay interest on a debt security of your series within 30 days of its due date.

• We do not deposit money into a separate custodial account known as a sinking fund when such deposit is due, if we agreed to maintain a sinking fund for your debt securities and other debt securities of the same series.

• We remain in breach of either of the restrictive covenants described on pages 8 through 10 under “— Restrictive Covenants” or any other covenant or warranty in the indenture for 90 days after we

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receive a notice of default stating we are in breach. The notice must be sent by either the trustee or direct holders of at least 25% of the principal amount of debt securities of the affected series.

• We file for bankruptcy or other specific events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur.

• Any other event of default described in the prospectus supplement occurs. (section 501)

Remedies if an Event of Default Occurs.

If an event of default has occurred and has not been cured, the trustee or the direct holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the affected series may declare the entire principal amount of all the debt securities of that series to be due and immediately payable. This is called a declaration of acceleration of maturity. The direct holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of the affected series may cancel a declaration of acceleration of maturity. (section 502)

Except in cases of default, where the trustee has some special duties, the trustee is not required to take any action under the indenture at the request of any holders unless the direct holders offer the trustee reasonable protection, called an indemnity, against expenses and liability. (section 603) If reasonable indemnity is provided, the direct holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the relevant series may direct the time, method and place of conducting any lawsuit or other formal legal action seeking any remedy available to the trustee. These majority direct holders may also direct the trustee in performing any other action under the indenture. (section 512)

Before you bypass the trustee and bring your own lawsuit or other formal legal action or take other steps to enforce your rights or protect your interests relating to the debt securities, the following must occur:

• You must give the trustee written notice that an event of default has occurred and remains uncured.

• The direct holders of at least 25% in principal amount of all outstanding debt securities of the relevant series must make a written request that the trustee take action because of the default, and must offer reasonable indemnity to the trustee against the cost and other liabilities of taking that action.

• The trustee must have not received from direct holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with the written notice.

• The trustee must have not taken action for 60 days after receipt of the above notice and offer of indemnity. (section 507)

However, you are entitled at any time to bring a lawsuit for the payment of money due on your debt security on or after its due date. (section 508)

Street name and other indirect holders should consult their banks or brokers for information on how to give notice or direction to or make a request of the trustee and to make or cancel a declaration of acceleration.

We will furnish to the trustee every year a written statement of our officers certifying that to their knowledge we are in compliance with the indenture and the debt securities, or else specifying any default. (section 1004)

Our Relationship with the Trustee

U.S. Bank Trust National Association is the trustee under the indenture. The trustee performs services for us in the ordinary course of business.

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LEGAL OWNERSHIP AND BOOK-ENTRY ISSUANCE

Street Name and Other Indirect Holders

We generally will not recognize investors who hold debt securities in accounts at banks or brokers as legal holders of debt securities. Holding in that way is called holding in street name. Instead, we would recognize only the bank or broker, or the financial institution the bank or broker uses to hold its debt securities. These intermediary banks, brokers and other financial institutions pass along principal, interest and other payments on the debt securities, either because they agree to do so in their customer agreements or because they are legally required to. If you hold debt securities in street name, you should check with your own institution to find out:

• how it handles securities payments and notices;

• whether it imposes fees or charges;

• how it would handle voting if ever required;

• whether and how you can instruct it to send you debt securities registered in your own name so you can be a direct holder as described below; and

• how it would pursue rights under the debt securities if there were a default or other event triggering the need for holders to act to protect their interests.

Direct Holders

Our obligations, as well as the obligations of the trustee and those of any third parties employed by us or the trustee, run only to persons or entities who are the direct holders of debt securities, i.e., those who are registered as holders of debt securities. As noted above, we do not have obligations to you if you hold in street name or through other indirect means, either because you choose to hold debt securities in that manner or because we issued the debt securities in the form of global securities as described below. For example, once we make payment to the registered holder, we have no further responsibility for the payment even if that registered holder is legally required to pass the payment along to you as a street name customer but does not do so.

Global Securities

What is a Global Security? A global security is a special type of indirectly held security, as described above under “— Street Name and Other Indirect Holders”. If we choose to issue debt securities in the form of global securities only, the ultimate beneficial owners can only be indirect holders. We do this by requiring that the global security be registered in the name of a financial institution or clearing system, or their nominee, that we select and by requiring that the debt securities included in the global security not be transferred to the name of any other direct holder unless the special circumstances described below occur. The financial institution that acts as the sole direct holder of the global security is called the depository. The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, known as DTC, may be a depository for one or more series of debt securities. For information regarding DTC, see "— Considerations Relating to DTC” on page 14.

Any person wishing to own a debt security included in a global security must do so indirectly by virtue of an account with a broker, bank or other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depository. The prospectus supplement indicates whether we will issue your debt securities only in the form of global securities.

Special Investor Considerations for Global Securities. The account rules of your financial institution and the rules of the depository, as well as general laws relating to securities transfers, will govern your rights as an indirect holder of a global security. We will not recognize you as a registered holder of debt securities and instead will deal only with the depository that holds the global security.

You should be aware that if debt securities are issued only in the form of global securities:

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• You cannot have debt securities registered in your own name.

• You cannot receive physical certificates for your interest in the debt securities.

• You will be a street name holder and must look to your own bank or broker for payments on the debt securities and protection of your legal rights relating to the debt securities. See “— Street Name and Other Indirect Holders” on page 13.

• You may not be able to sell interests in the debt securities to some insurance companies and other institutions that are required by law to own their securities as direct holders.

• The depository’s policies will govern payments, transfers, exchange and other matters relating to your interest in the global security, and those policies may change from time to time. We and the trustee have no responsibility for any aspect of the depository’s actions or for its records of ownership interests in the global security. We and the trustee also do not supervise the depository in any way.

• Financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system and through which investors hold their interests in the global securities, directly or indirectly, may also have their own policies affecting payments, deliveries, transfers, exchanges, notices and other matters relating to the debt securities, and those policies may change from time to time. We do not monitor and are not responsible for the policies or actions or records of ownership interests of any of those intermediaries.

• The depository will require that you purchase or sell interests in a global security within its system using same-day funds for settlement.

Special Situations When a Global Security will be Terminated. In a few special situations described below, the trustee will terminate the global security and will exchange interests in it for separate certificates representing debt securities. After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold debt securities directly or in street name will be up to you. You must consult your own bank or broker to find out how to have your interests in the debt securities transferred to your own name, so that you will be a direct holder. We previously described the rights of street name investors and direct holders in the debt securities in the subsections entitled, “— Street Name and Other Indirect Holders” on page 13 and “— Direct Holders” on page 13.

The special situations for termination of a global security are:

• When the depository notifies us that it is unwilling, unable or no longer qualified to continue as depository,

• When we notify the trustee that we wish to terminate the global security, or

• When an event of default on the debt securities has occurred and has not been cured. Defaults are discussed on pages 11 and 12 under “— Default and Remedies — Events of Default”.

The prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a global security that would apply only to the particular debt securities of the series covered by the prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the depository, and not we or the trustee, is responsible for deciding the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct holders. (sections 204 and 305)

Considerations Relating to DTC. DTC has informed us that it is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law, a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act of 1934. DTC holds securities that DTC participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the

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settlement among DTC participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in DTC participants’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies and clearing corporations, and may include other organizations. DTC is owned by a number of its DTC participants and by the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., the American Stock Exchange, LLC and the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. Indirect access to the DTC system also is available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and DTC participants are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Purchases of securities within the DTC system must be made by or through DTC participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC’s records. Transfers of ownership interests in the securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners.

Redemption notices will be sent to DTC’s nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of the securities. If less than all of the securities are being redeemed, DTC will determine the amount of the interest of each direct participant to be redeemed in accordance with its then current procedures.

In instances in which a vote is required, neither DTC nor Cede & Co. will itself consent or vote with respect to the securities. Under its usual procedures DTC would mail an omnibus proxy to the relevant trustee as soon as possible after the record date. The omnibus proxy assigns Cede & Co.’s consenting or voting rights to those direct participants to whose accounts such securities are credited on the record date (identified in a listing attached to the omnibus proxy).

Distribution payments on the securities will be made by the relevant trustee to DTC. DTC’s usual practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts on the relevant payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC’s records unless DTC has reason to believe that it will not receive payments on such payment date. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices and will be the responsibility of such participants and not of DTC, the relevant trustee or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time. Payment of distributions to DTC is the responsibility of the relevant trustee, and disbursements of such payment to the beneficial owners are the responsibility of direct and indirect participants.

The information in this section concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system has been obtained from sources that we believe to be accurate, but we assume no responsibility for the accuracy thereof. We do not have any responsibility for the performance by DTC or its participants of their respective obligations as described herein or under the rules and procedures governing their respective operations.

UNITED STATES TAXATION

This section describes the material United States federal income tax consequences of owning the debt securities we are offering. It applies to you only if you acquire debt securities in the offering and you hold your debt securities as capital assets for tax purposes. This section does not apply to you if you are a member of a class of holders subject to special rules, such as:

• a dealer in securities or currencies,

• a trader in securities that elects to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for your securities holdings,

• a bank,

• a life insurance company,

• a tax-exempt organization,

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• a person that owns debt securities that are a hedge or that are hedged against interest rate or currency risks,

• a person that owns debt securities as part of a straddle or conversion transaction for tax purposes, or

• a United States holder (as defined below) whose functional currency for tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar.

This section deals only with debt securities that are due to mature 30 years or less from the date on which they are issued. The United States federal income tax consequences of owning debt securities that are due to mature more than 30 years from their date of issue will be discussed in an applicable prospectus supplement. This section is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, its legislative history, existing and proposed regulations under the Internal Revenue Code, published rulings and court decisions, all as currently in effect. These laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis.

Please consult your own tax advisor concerning the consequences of owning these debt securities in your particular circumstances under the Code and the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction.

United States Holders

This subsection describes the tax consequences to a United States holder. You are a United States holder if you are a beneficial owner of a debt security and you are:

• a citizen or resident of the United States,

• a domestic corporation,

• an estate whose income is subject to United States federal income tax regardless of its source, or

• a trust if a United States court can exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more United States persons are authorized to control all substantial decisions of the trust.

If you are not a United States holder, this subsection does not apply to you and you should refer to “— United States Alien Holders” below.

Payments of Interest

Except as described below in the case of interest on a discount debt security that is not qualified stated interest each as defined below under “— Original Issue Discount — General”, you will be taxed on any interest on your debt security, whether payable in U.S. dollars or a foreign currency, including a composite currency or basket of currencies other than U.S. dollars as ordinary income at the time you receive the interest or when it accrues, depending on your method of accounting for tax purposes.

Cash Basis Taxpayers. If you are a taxpayer that uses the cash receipts and disbursements method of accounting for tax purposes and you receive an interest payment that is denominated in, or determined by reference to, a foreign currency, you must recognize income equal to the U.S. dollar value of the interest payment, based on the exchange rate in effect on the date of receipt, regardless of whether you actually convert the payment into U.S. dollars.

Accrual Basis Taxpayers. If you are a taxpayer that uses an accrual method of accounting for tax purposes, you may determine the amount of income that you recognize with respect to an interest payment denominated in, or determined by reference to, a foreign currency by using one of two methods. Under the first method, you will determine the amount of income accrued based on the average exchange rate in effect during the interest accrual period or, with respect to an accrual period that spans two taxable years, that part of the period within the taxable year.

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If you elect the second method, you would determine the amount of income accrued on the basis of the exchange rate in effect on the last day of the accrual period, or, in the case of an accrual period that spans two taxable years, the exchange rate in effect on the last day of the part of the period within the taxable year. Additionally, under this second method, if you receive a payment of interest within five business days of the last day of your accrual period or taxable year, you may instead translate the interest accrued into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate in effect on the day that you actually receive the interest payment. If you elect the second method it will apply to all debt instruments that you hold at the beginning of the first taxable year to which the election applies and to all debt instruments that you subsequently acquire. You may not revoke this election without the consent of the Internal Revenue Service.

When you actually receive an interest payment, including a payment attributable to accrued but unpaid interest upon the sale or retirement of your debt security, denominated in, or determined by reference to, a foreign currency for which you accrued an amount of income, you will recognize ordinary income or loss measured by the difference, if any, between the exchange rate that you used to accrue interest income and the exchange rate in effect on the date of receipt, regardless of whether you actually convert the payment into U.S. dollars.

Original Issue Discount

General. If you own a debt security, other than a short-term debt security with a term of one year or less, it will be treated as a discount debt security issued at an original issue discount if the amount by which the debt security’s stated redemption price at maturity exceeds its issue price is more than a de minimis amount. Generally, a debt security’s issue price will be the first price at which a substantial amount of debt securities included in the issue of which the debt security is a part is sold to persons other than bond houses, brokers, or similar persons or organizations acting in the capacity of underwriters, placement agents, or wholesalers. A debt security’s stated redemption price at maturity is the total of all payments provided by the debt security that are not payments of qualified stated interest. Generally, an interest payment on a debt security is qualified stated interest if it is one of a series of stated interest payments on a debt security that are unconditionally payable at least annually at a single fixed rate, with certain exceptions for lower rates paid during some periods, applied to the outstanding principal amount of the debt security. There are special rules for variable rate debt securities that are discussed under “—Variable Rate Debt Securities”.

In general, your debt security is not a discount debt security if the amount by which its stated redemption price at maturity exceeds its issue price is less than the de minimis amount of 1/4 of 1 percent of its stated redemption price at maturity multiplied by the number of complete years to its maturity. Your debt security will have de minimis original issue discount if the amount of the excess is less than the de minimis amount. If your debt security has de minimis original issue discount, you must include the de minimis amount in income as stated principal payments are made on the debt security, unless you make the election described below under “— Election to Treat All Interest as Original Issue Discount”. You can determine the includible amount with respect to each such payment by multiplying the total amount of your debt security’s de minimis original issue discount by a fraction equal to:

• the amount of the principal payment made

divided by:

• the stated principal amount of the debt security.

Generally, if your discount debt security matures more than one year from its date of issue, you must include original issue discount, or OID, in income before you receive cash attributable to that income. The amount of OID that you must include in income is calculated using a constant-yield method, and generally you will include increasingly greater amounts of OID in income over the life of your debt security. More specifically, you can calculate the amount of OID that you must include in income by adding the daily portions of OID with respect to your discount debt security for each day during the taxable year or portion of the taxable year that you hold your discount debt security. You can determine the daily portion by allocating to each day in any accrual period a pro rata portion of the OID allocable to that accrual period. You may select an accrual period of any length with respect to your discount debt security and you may vary the length of each accrual period over the term of your discount

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debt security. However, no accrual period may be longer than one year and each scheduled payment of interest or principal on the discount debt security must occur on either the first or final day of an accrual period.

You can determine the amount of OID allocable to an accrual period by:

• multiplying your discount debt security’s adjusted issue price at the beginning of the accrual period by your debt security’s yield to maturity, and then

• subtracting from this figure the sum of the payments of qualified stated interest on your debt security allocable to the accrual period.

You must determine the discount debt security’s yield to maturity on the basis of compounding at the close of each accrual period and adjusting for the length of each accrual period. Further, you determine your discount debt security’s adjusted issue price at the beginning of any accrual period by:

• adding your discount debt security’s issue price and any accrued OID for each prior accrual period, and then

• subtracting any payments previously made on your discount debt security that were not qualified stated interest payments.

If an interval between payments of qualified stated interest on your discount debt security contains more than one accrual period, then, when you determine the amount of OID allocable to an accrual period, you must allocate the amount of qualified stated interest payable at the end of the interval, including any qualified stated interest that is payable on the first day of the accrual period immediately following the interval, pro rata to each accrual period in the interval based on their relative lengths. In addition, you must increase the adjusted issue price at the beginning of each accrual period in the interval by the amount of any qualified stated interest that has accrued prior to the first day of the accrual period but that is not payable until the end of the interval. You may compute the amount of OID allocable to an initial short accrual period by using any reasonable method if all other accrual periods, other than a final short accrual period, are of equal length.

The amount of OID allocable to the final accrual period is equal to the difference between:

• the amount payable at the maturity of your debt security, other than any payment of qualified stated interest, and

• your debt security’s adjusted issue price as of the beginning of the final accrual period.

Acquisition Premium. If you purchase your debt security for an amount that is less than or equal to the sum of all amounts, other than qualified stated interest, payable on your debt security after the purchase date but is greater than the amount of your debt security’s adjusted issue price, as determined above under “— General”, the excess is acquisition premium. If you do not make the election described below under “— Election to Treat All Interest as Original Issue Discount”, then you must reduce the daily portions of OID by a fraction equal to:

• the excess of your adjusted basis in the debt security immediately after purchase over the adjusted issue price of the debt security

divided by:

• the excess of the sum of all amounts payable, other than qualified stated interest, on the debt security after the purchase date over the debt security’s adjusted issue price.

Pre-Issuance Accrued Interest. An election may be made to decrease the issue price of your debt security by the amount of pre-issuance accrued interest if:

• a portion of the initial purchase price of your debt security is attributable to pre-issuance accrued interest,

• the first stated interest payment on your debt security is to be made within one year of your debt security’s issue date, and

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• the payment will equal or exceed the amount of pre-issuance accrued interest.

If this election is made, a portion of the first stated interest payment will be treated as a return of the excluded pre-issuance accrued interest and not as an amount payable on your debt security.

Debt Securities Subject to Contingencies Including Optional Redemption. Your debt security is subject to a contingency if it provides for an alternative payment schedule or schedules applicable upon the occurrence of a contingency or contingencies, other than a remote or incidental contingency, whether such contingency relates to payments of interest or of principal. In such a case, you must determine the yield and maturity of your debt security by assuming that the payments will be made according to the payment schedule most likely to occur if:

• the timing and amounts of the payments that comprise each payment schedule are known as of the issue date and

• one of such schedules is significantly more likely than not to occur.

If there is no single payment schedule that is significantly more likely than not to occur, other than because of a mandatory sinking fund, you must include income on your debt security in accordance with the general rules that govern contingent payment obligations. These rules will be discussed in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Notwithstanding the general rules for determining yield and maturity, if your debt security is subject to contingencies, and either you or we have an unconditional option or options that, if exercised, would require payments to be made on the debt security under an alternative payment schedule or schedules, then:

• in the case of an option or options that we may exercise, we will be deemed to exercise or not exercise an option or combination of options in the manner that minimizes the yield on your debt security and

• in the case of an option or options that you may exercise, you will be deemed to exercise or not exercise an option or combination of options in the manner that maximizes the yield on your debt security.

If both you and we hold options described in the preceding sentence, those rules will apply to each option in the order in which they may be exercised. You may determine the yield on your debt security for the purposes of those calculations by using any date on which your debt security may be redeemed or repurchased as the maturity date and the amount payable on the date that you chose in accordance with the terms of your debt security as the principal amount payable at maturity.

If a contingency, including the exercise of an option, actually occurs or does not occur contrary to an assumption made according to the above rules then, except to the extent that a portion of your debt security is repaid as a result of this change in circumstances and solely to determine the amount and accrual of OID, you must redetermine the yield and maturity of your debt security by treating your debt security as having been retired and reissued on the date of the change in circumstances for an amount equal to your debt security’s adjusted issue price on that date.

Election to Treat All Interest as Original Issue Discount. You may elect to include in gross income all interest that accrues on your debt security using the constant-yield method described above under “— General”, with the modifications described below. For purposes of this election, interest will include stated interest, OID, de minimis original issue discount, market discount, de minimis market discount and unstated interest, as adjusted by any amortizable bond premium, described below under “— Debt securities Purchased at a Premium,” or acquisition premium.

If you make this election for your debt security, then, when you apply the constant-yield method:

• the issue price of your debt security will equal your cost,

• the issue date of your debt security will be the date you acquired it, and

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• no payments on your debt security will be treated as payments of qualified stated interest.

Generally, this election will apply only to the debt security for which you make it; however, if the debt security has amortizable bond premium, you will be deemed to have made an election to apply amortizable bond premium against interest for all debt instruments with amortizable bond premium, other than debt instruments the interest on which is excludible from gross income, that you hold as of the beginning of the taxable year to which the election applies or any taxable year thereafter. Additionally, if you make this election for a market discount debt security, you will be treated as having made the election discussed below under “— Market Discount” to include market discount in income currently over the life of all debt instruments that you currently own or later acquire. You may not revoke any election to apply the constant-yield method to all interest on a debt security or the deemed elections with respect to amortizable bond premium or market discount debt securities without the consent of the Internal Revenue Service.

Variable Rate Debt Securities. Your debt security will be a variable rate debt security if:

• your debt security’s issue price does not exceed the total noncontingent principal payments by more than the lesser of:

1. .015 multiplied by the product of the total noncontingent principal payments and the number of complete years to maturity from the issue date, or

2. 15 percent of the total noncontingent principal payments; and

• your debt security provides for stated interest, compounded or paid at least annually, only at:

1. one or more qualified floating rates,

2. a single fixed rate and one or more qualified floating rates,

3. a single objective rate, or

4. a single fixed rate and a single objective rate that is a qualified inverse floating rate.

Your debt security will have a variable rate that is a qualified floating rate if:

• variations in the value of the rate can reasonably be expected to measure contemporaneous variations in the cost of newly borrowed funds in the currency in which your debt security is denominated; or

• the rate is equal to such a rate multiplied by either:

1. a fixed multiple that is greater than 0.65 but not more than 1.35 or

2. a fixed multiple greater than 0.65 but not more than 1.35, increased or decreased by a fixed rate; and

• the value of the rate on any date during the term of your debt security is set no earlier than three months prior to the first day on which that value is in effect and no later than one year following that first day.

If your debt security provides for two or more qualified floating rates that are within 0.25 percentage points of each other on the issue date or can reasonably be expected to have approximately the same values throughout the term of the debt security, the qualified floating rates together constitute a single qualified floating rate.

Your debt security will not have a qualified floating rate, however, if the rate is subject to certain restrictions (including caps, floors, governors, or other similar restrictions) unless such restrictions are fixed throughout the term of the debt security or are not reasonably expected to significantly affect the yield on the debt security.

Your debt security will have a variable rate that is a single objective rate if:

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• the rate is not a qualified floating rate,

• the rate is determined using a single, fixed formula that is based on objective financial or economic information that is not within the control of or unique to the circumstances of the issuer or a related party, and

Your debt security will not have a variable rate that is an objective rate, however, if it is reasonably expected that the average value of the rate during the first half of your debt security’s term will be either significantly less than or significantly greater than the average value of the rate during the final half of your debt security’s term.

An objective rate as described above is a qualified inverse floating rate if:

• the rate is equal to a fixed rate minus a qualified floating rate and

• the variations in the rate can reasonably be expected to inversely reflect contemporaneous variations in the cost of newly borrowed funds.

Your debt security will also have a single qualified floating rate or an objective rate if interest on your debt security is stated at a fixed rate for an initial period of one year or less followed by either a qualified floating rate or an objective rate for a subsequent period, and either:

• the fixed rate and the qualified floating rate or objective rate have values on the issue date of the debt security that do not differ by more than 0.25 percentage points or

• the value of the qualified floating rate or objective rate is intended to approximate the fixed rate.

In general, if your variable rate debt security provides for stated interest at a single qualified floating rate or objective rate, or one of those rates after a single fixed rate for an initial period, all stated interest on your debt security is qualified stated interest. In this case, the amount of OID, if any, is determined by using, in the case of a qualified floating rate or qualified inverse floating rate, the value as of the issue date of the qualified floating rate or qualified inverse floating rate, or, for any other objective rate, a fixed rate that reflects the yield reasonably expected for your debt security.

If your variable rate debt security does not provide for stated interest at a single qualified floating rate or a single objective rate, and also does not provide for interest payable at a fixed rate other than a single fixed rate for an initial period, you generally must determine the interest and OID accruals on your debt security by:

• determining a fixed rate substitute for each variable rate provided under your variable rate debt security,

• constructing the equivalent fixed rate debt instrument, using the fixed rate substitute described above,

• determining the amount of qualified stated interest and OID with respect to the equivalent fixed rate debt instrument, and

• adjusting for actual variable rates during the applicable accrual period.

When you determine the fixed rate substitute for each variable rate provided under the variable rate debt security, you generally will use the value of each variable rate as of the issue date or, for an objective rate that is not a qualified inverse floating rate, a rate that reflects the reasonably expected yield on your debt security.

If your variable rate debt security provides for stated interest either at one or more qualified floating rates or at a qualified inverse floating rate, and also provides for stated interest at a single fixed rate other than at a single fixed rate for an initial period, you generally must determine interest and OID accruals by using the method

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described in the previous paragraph. However, your variable rate debt security will be treated, for purposes of the first three steps of the determination, as if your debt security had provided for a qualified floating rate, or a qualified inverse floating rate, rather than the fixed rate. The qualified floating rate, or qualified inverse floating rate, that replaces the fixed rate must be such that the fair market value of your variable rate debt security as of the issue date approximates the fair market value of an otherwise identical debt instrument that provides for the qualified floating rate, or qualified inverse floating rate, rather than the fixed rate.

Short-Term Debt Securities. In general, if you are an individual or other cash basis United States holder of a short-term debt security, you are not required to accrue OID, as specially defined below for the purposes of this paragraph, for United States federal income tax purposes unless you elect to do so (although it is possible that you may be required to include any stated interest in income as you receive it). If you are an accrual basis taxpayer, a taxpayer in a special class, including, but not limited to, a regulated investment company, common trust fund, or a certain type of pass-through entity, or a cash basis taxpayer who so elects, you will be required to accrue OID on short-term debt securities on either a straight-line basis or under the constant-yield method, based on daily compounding. If you are not required and do not elect to include OID in income currently, any gain you realize on the sale or retirement of your short-term debt security will be ordinary income to the extent of the accrued OID, which will be determined on a straight-line basis unless you make an election to accrue the OID under the constant-yield method, through the date of sale or retirement. However, if you are not required and do not elect to accrue OID on your short-term debt securities, you will be required to defer deductions for interest on borrowings allocable to your short-term debt securities in an amount not exceeding the deferred income until the deferred income is realized.

When you determine the amount of OID subject to these rules, you must include all interest payments on your short-term debt security, including stated interest, in your short-term debt security’s stated redemption price at maturity.

Foreign Currency Discount Debt Securities. If your discount debt security is denominated in, or determined by reference to, a foreign currency, you must determine OID for any accrual period on your discount debt security in the foreign currency and then translate the amount of OID into U.S. dollars in the same manner as stated interest accrued by an accrual basis United States holder, as described under “— United States Holders — Payments of Interest”. You may recognize ordinary income or loss when you receive an amount attributable to OID in connection with a payment of interest or the sale or retirement of your debt security.

Market Discount

You will be treated as if you purchased your debt security, other than a short-term debt security, at a market discount, and your debt security will be a market discount debt security if:

• you purchase your debt security for less than its issue price as determined above under “Original Issue Discount — General” and

• the difference between the debt security’s stated redemption price at maturity or, in the case of a discount debt security, the debt security’s revised issue price, and the price you paid for your debt security is equal to or greater than 1/4 of 1 percent of your debt security’s stated redemption price at maturity or revised issue price, respectively, multiplied by the number of complete years to the debt security’s maturity. To determine the revised issue price of your debt security for these purposes, you generally add any OID that has accrued on your debt security to its issue price.

If your debt security’s stated redemption price at maturity or, in the case of a discount debt security, its revised issue price, exceeds the price you paid for the debt security by less than 1/4 of 1 percent multiplied by the number of complete years to the debt security’s maturity, the excess constitutes de minimis market discount, and the rules discussed below are not applicable to you.

You must treat any gain you recognize on the maturity or disposition of your market discount debt security as ordinary income to the extent of the accrued market discount on your debt security. Alternatively, you may elect to include market discount in income currently over the life of your debt security. If you make this election, it will

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apply to all debt instruments with market discount that you acquire on or after the first day of the first taxable year to which the election applies. You may not revoke this election without the consent of the Internal Revenue Service. If you own a market discount debt security and do not make this election, you will generally be required to defer deductions for interest on borrowings allocable to your debt security in an amount not exceeding the accrued market discount on your debt security until the maturity or disposition of your debt security.

You will accrue market discount on your market discount debt security on a straight-line basis unless you elect to accrue market discount using a constant-yield method. If you make this election, it will apply only to the debt security with respect to which it is made and you may not revoke it.

Debt Securities Purchased at a Premium

If you purchase your debt security for an amount in excess of its principal amount, you may elect to treat the excess as amortizable bond premium. If you make this election, you will reduce the amount required to be included in your income each year with respect to interest on your debt security by the amount of amortizable bond premium allocable to that year, based on your debt security’s yield to maturity. If your debt security is denominated in, or determined by reference to, a foreign currency, you will compute your amortizable bond premium in units of the foreign currency and your amortizable bond premium will reduce your interest income in units of the foreign currency. Gain or loss recognized that is attributable to changes in exchange rates between the time your amortized bond premium offsets interest income and the time of the acquisition of your debt security is generally taxable as ordinary income or loss. If you make an election to amortize bond premium, it will apply to all debt instruments, other than debt instruments the interest on which is excludible from gross income, that you hold at the beginning of the first taxable year to which the election applies or that you thereafter acquire, and you may not revoke it without the consent of the Internal Revenue Service. See also “Original Issue Discount — Election to Treat All Interest as Original Issue Discount”.

Purchase, Sale and Retirement of the Debt Securities

Your tax basis in your debt security will generally be the U.S. dollar cost, as defined below, of your debt security, adjusted by:

• adding any OID or market discount, de minimis original issue discount and de minimis market discount previously included in income with respect to your debt security, and then

• subtracting any payments on your debt security that are not qualified stated interest payments and any amortizable bond premium applied to reduce interest on your debt security.

If you purchase your debt security with foreign currency, the U.S. dollar cost of your debt security will generally be the U.S. dollar value of the purchase price on the date of purchase. However, if you are a cash basis taxpayer, or an accrual basis taxpayer if you so elect, and your debt security is traded on an established securities market, as defined in the applicable Treasury regulations, the U.S. dollar cost of your debt security will be the U.S. dollar value of the purchase price on the settlement date of your purchase.

You will generally recognize gain or loss on the sale or retirement of your debt security equal to the difference between the amount you realize on the sale or retirement and your tax basis in your debt security. If your debt security is sold or retired for an amount in foreign currency, the amount you realize will be the U.S. dollar value of such amount on:

• the date payment is received, if you are a cash basis taxpayer and the debt securities are not traded on an established securities market, as defined in the applicable Treasury regulations,

• the date of disposition, if you are an accrual basis taxpayer, or

• the settlement date for the sale, if you are a cash basis taxpayer, or an accrual basis taxpayer that so elects, and the debt securities are traded on an established securities market, as defined in the applicable Treasury regulations.

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You will recognize capital gain or loss when you sell or retire your debt security, except to the extent:

• described above under “— Original Issue Discount — Short-Term Debt Securities” or “— Market Discount”,

• attributable to accrued but unpaid interest,

• the rules governing contingent payment obligations apply, or

• attributable to changes in exchange rates as described below.

Capital gain of a noncorporate United States holder that is recognized before January 1, 2009 is generally taxed at a maximum rate of 15% where the holder has a holding period greater than one year.

You must treat any portion of the gain or loss that you recognize on the sale or retirement of a debt security as ordinary income or loss to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates. However, you take exchange gain or loss into account only to the extent of the total gain or loss you realize on the transaction.

Exchange of Amounts in Other Than U.S. Dollars

If you receive foreign currency as interest on your debt security or on the sale or retirement of your debt security, your tax basis in the foreign currency will equal its U.S. dollar value when the interest is received or at the time of the sale or retirement. If you purchase foreign currency, you generally will have a tax basis equal to the U.S. dollar value of the foreign currency on the date of your purchase. If you sell or dispose of a foreign currency, including if you use it to purchase debt securities or exchange it for U.S. dollars, any gain or loss recognized generally will be ordinary income or loss.

Indexed Debt Securities

The applicable prospectus supplement will discuss any special United States federal income tax rules with respect to debt securities the payments on which are determined by reference to any index and other debt securities that are subject to the rules governing contingent payment obligations which are not subject to the rules governing variable rate debt securities.

United States Alien Holders

This subsection describes the tax consequences to a United States alien holder. You are a United States alien holder if you are the beneficial owner of a debt security and are, for United States federal income tax purposes:

• a nonresident alien individual,

• a foreign corporation,

• a foreign partnership, or

• an estate or trust that in either case is not subject to United States federal income tax on a net income basis on income or gain from a debt security.

If you are a United States holder, this subsection does not apply to you.

This discussion assumes that the debt security is not subject to the rules of Section 871(h)(4)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code, relating to interest payments that are determined by reference to the income, profits, changes in the value of property or other attributes of the debtor or a related party.

Under United States federal income and estate tax law, and subject to the discussion of backup withholding below, if you are a United States alien holder of a debt security

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• we and other U.S. payors generally will not be required to deduct United States withholding tax from payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest, including OID, to you if, in the case of payments of interest:

1. you do not actually or constructively own 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of Merck & Co., Inc. entitled to vote,

2. you are not a controlled foreign corporation that is related to us through stock ownership, and

3. the U.S. payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a United States person and:

a. you have furnished to the U.S. payor an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or an acceptable substitute form upon which you certify, under penalties of perjury, that you are a non-United States person,

b. in the case of payments made outside the United States to you at an offshore account (generally, an account maintained by you at a bank or other financial institution at any location outside the United States), you have furnished to the U.S. payor documentation that establishes your identity and your status as a non-United States person,

c. the U.S. payor has received a withholding certificate (furnished on an appropriate Internal Revenue Service Form W-8 or an acceptable substitute form) from a person claiming to be:

i. withholding foreign partnership (generally a foreign partnership that has entered into an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service to a assume primary withholding responsibility with respect to distributions and guaranteed payments it makes to its partners),

ii. a qualified intermediary (generally a non-United States financial institution or clearing organization or a non-United States branch or office of a United States financial institution or clearing organization that is a party to a withholding agreement with the Internal Revenue Service), or

iii. a U.S. branch of a non-United States bank or of a non-United States insurance company,

and the withholding foreign partnership, qualified intermediary or U.S. branch has received documentation upon which it may rely to treat the payment as made to a non-United States person in accordance with U.S. Treasury regulations (or, in the case of a qualified intermediary, in accordance with its agreement with the Internal Revenue Service),

d. the U.S. payor receives a statement from a securities clearing organization, bank or other financial institution that holds customers’ securities in the ordinary course of its trade or business,

i. certifying to the U.S. payor under penalties of perjury that an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or an acceptable substitute form has been received from you by it or by a similar financial institution between it and you, and

ii. to which is attached a copy of the Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or acceptable substitute form, or

e. the U.S. payor otherwise possesses documentation upon which it may rely to treat the payment as made to a non-United States person in accordance with U.S. Treasury regulations; and

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• no deduction for any United States federal withholding tax will be made from any gain that you realize on the sale or exchange of your debt security.

Further, a debt security held by an individual who at death is not a citizen or resident of the United States will not be includible in the individual’s gross estate for United States federal estate tax purposes if:

• the decedent did not actually or constructively own 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of Merck & Co. Inc. entitled to vote at the time of death; and

• the income on the debt security would not have been effectively connected with a United States trade or business of the decedent at the same time.

Treasury Regulations Requiring Disclosure of Reportable Transactions

Recently-promulgated Treasury regulations require United States taxpayers to report certain transactions that give rise to a loss in excess of certain thresholds (a “Reportable Transaction”). Under these regulations, if the debt securities are denominated in a foreign currency, a United States holder (or a United States alien holder that holds the debt securities in connection with a U.S. trade or business) that recognizes a loss with respect to the debt securities that is characterized as an ordinary loss due to changes in currency exchange rates (under any of the rules discussed above) would be required to report the loss on Internal Revenue Service Form 8886 (Reportable Transaction Statement) if the loss exceeds the thresholds set forth in the regulations. For individuals and trusts, this loss threshold is $50,000 in any single taxable year. For other types of taxpayers and other types of losses, the thresholds are higher. You should consult with your tax advisor regarding any tax filing and reporting obligations that may apply in connection with acquiring, owning and disposing of debt securities.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

In general, if you are a noncorporate United States holder, we and other payors are required to report to the Internal Revenue Service all payments of principal, any premium and interest on your debt security, and the accrual of OID on a discount debt security. In addition, we and other payors are required to report to the Internal Revenue Service any payment of proceeds of the sale of your debt security before maturity within the United States. Additionally, backup withholding will apply to any payments, including payments of OID, if you fail to provide an accurate taxpayer identification number, or you are notified by the Internal Revenue Service that you have failed to report all interest and dividends required to be shown on your federal income tax returns.

In general, if you are a United States alien holder, payments of principal, premium or interest, including OID, made by us and other payors to you will not be subject to backup withholding and information reporting, provided that the certification requirements described above under “— United States Alien Holders” are satisfied or you otherwise establish an exemption. However, we and other payors are required to report payments of interest on your debt securities on Internal Revenue Service Form 1042-S even if the payments are not otherwise subject to information reporting requirements. In addition, payment of the proceeds from the sale of debt securities effected at a United States office of a broker will not be subject to backup withholding and information reporting provided that:

• the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a United States person and you have furnished to the broker:

• an appropriate Internal Revenue Service Form W-8 or an acceptable substitute form upon which you certify, under penalties of perjury, that you are not a United States person, or

• other documentation upon which it may rely to treat the payment as made to a non-United States person in accordance with U.S. Treasury regulations, or

• you otherwise establish an exemption.

If you fail to establish an exemption and the broker does not possess adequate documentation of your status as a non-United States person, the payments may be subject to information reporting and backup withholding. However, backup withholding will not apply with respect to payments made to an offshore account maintained by you unless the broker has actual knowledge that you are a United States person.

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In general, payment of the proceeds from the sale of debt securities effected at a foreign office of a broker will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding. However, a sale effected at a foreign office of a broker will be subject to information reporting and backup withholding if:

• the proceeds are transferred to an account maintained by you in the United States,

• the payment of proceeds or the confirmation of the sale is mailed to you at a United States address, or

• the sale has some other specified connection with the United States as provided in U.S. Treasury regulations,

In addition, payment of the proceeds from the sale of debt securities effected at a foreign office of a broker will be subject to information reporting if the broker is:

• a United States person,

• a controlled foreign corporation for United States tax purposes,

• a foreign person 50% or more of whose gross income is effectively connected with the conduct of a United States trade or business for a specified three-year period, or

• a foreign partnership, if at any time during its tax year:

• one or more of its partners are “U.S. persons”, as defined in U.S. Treasury regulations, who in the aggregate hold more than 50% of the income or capital interest in the partnership, or

• such foreign partnership is engaged in the conduct of a United States trade or business,

unless the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a United States person and the documentation requirements described above (relating to a sale of debt securities effected at a United States office of a broker) are met or you otherwise establish an exemption. Backup withholding will apply if the sale is subject to information reporting and the broker has actual knowledge that you are a United States person.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell debt securities:

• to or through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters;

• through one or more underwriters without a syndicate for them to offer and sell to the public;

• through dealers or agents; and

• directly to investors.

The debt securities we distribute by any of these methods may be sold to the public, in one or more transactions, either:

• at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

• at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

• at prices related to prevailing market prices; or

• at negotiated prices.

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We may sell debt securities from time to time to one or more underwriters, who would purchase the securities as principal for resale to the public, either on a firm-commitment or best-efforts basis. If we sell debt securities to underwriters, we may execute an underwriting agreement with them at the time of sale and will name them in the applicable prospectus supplement. In connection with those sales, underwriters may be deemed to have received compensation from us in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of the debt securities for whom they may act as agents. Underwriters may resell the debt securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from purchasers for whom they may act as agents. The prospectus supplement will include any required information about underwriting compensation we pay to underwriters, and any discounts, concessions or commissions underwriters allow to participating dealers, in connection with an offering of debt securities.

We may solicit offers to purchase debt securities directly from the public from time to time. We may also designate agents from time to time to solicit offers to purchase debt securities from the public on our behalf. If required, the prospectus supplement relating to any particular offering of debt securities will name any agents designated to solicit offers, and will include information about any commissions we may pay the agents, in that offering. Agents may be deemed to be “underwriters” as that term is defined in the Securities Act of 1933.

From time to time, we may sell debt securities to one or more dealers acting as principals. The dealers, who may be deemed to be “underwriters” as that term is defined in the Securities Act of 1933, may then resell those debt securities to the public.

Any underwriter or agent involved in the offer and sale of any debt securities will be named in the prospectus supplement.

Underwriters, agents and dealers may be entitled, under agreements with us, to indemnification against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933.

Each series of debt securities will be a new issue, and there will be no established trading market for any debt security prior to its original issue date. We may not list a particular series of debt securities on a securities exchange or quotation system. Any underwriters to whom we sell debt securities for public offering may make a market in those debt securities. However, no such underwriter that makes a market will be obligated to do so, and any of them may stop doing so at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity or trading market for any of the debt securities.

Unless otherwise indicated in your prospectus supplement or confirmation of sale, the purchase price of the debt securities will be required to be paid in immediately available funds in New York City.

In connection with an offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell debt securities in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of debt securities than they are required to purchase in an offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of certain bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the debt securities while an offering is in progress.

The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the underwriters have repurchased debt securities sold by or for the account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short-covering transactions.

These activities by the underwriters may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the debt securities. As a result, the price of the debt securities may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. If these activities are commenced, they may be discontinued by the underwriters at any time. These transactions may be effected on an exchange or automated quotation system, if the debt securities are listed on that exchange or admitted for trading on that automated quotation system, or in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.

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Underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of their businesses.

VALIDITY OF DEBT SECURITIES

Kenneth C. Frazier, our Senior Vice President and General Counsel, will pass upon the validity of the debt securities for us. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, New York, New York, will pass upon the validity of the debt securities for any underwriters or agents. As of December 9, 2004, Mr. Frazier owned, directly and indirectly, 30,784.3175 shares of our common stock and exercisable options to purchase 420,235.6666 additional shares of our common stock. Partners of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP involved in representation of any underwriters or agents beneficially own approximately 1,020 shares of our common stock. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP has from time to time provided legal services to us.

EXPERTS

The financial statements incorporated in this Prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. The address of the SEC’s Internet site is provided solely for the information of investors and is not intended to be an active link. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s public reference room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room.

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Information that we file later with the SEC, including filings after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering of the debt securities, will automatically update and, where applicable, supersede the information contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Information furnished under Item 2.02 and Item 7.01 (formerly Items 12 and 9 prior to August 23, 2004) of our current reports on Form 8-K is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus and registration statement. We furnished information under Items 2.02 and 7.01 in our current reports on Form 8-K filed on October 21, 2004 and December 8, 2004 and furnished information under former Items 9 and 12 in our current reports on Form 8-K filed on April 22, 2004 and July 21, 2004. We incorporate by reference:

• our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, file number 1-3305; and

•

our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2004, June 30, 2004 and September 30, 2004 file number 1-3305; and

•

our current reports on Form 8-K, dated February 10, 2004, February 26, 2004, October 1, 2004, October 6, 2004, October 22, 2004, October 26, 2004, October 28, 2004 and November 29, 2004; and

•

any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 until we sell all of the debt securities; and

•

any filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 after the date of filing of the initial registration statement and prior to effectiveness of the registration statement.

You may request a copy of these filings at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

Corporate Secretary
Merck & Co., Inc.
One Merck Drive
Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889-0100
(908) 423-1000

You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these debt securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the

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information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of those documents.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference may include statements that may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of federal securities laws. One can identify these forward-looking statements by their use of words such as “expects,” “plans,” “will,” “estimates,” “forecasts,” “projects” and other words of similar meaning. One can also identify them by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements are likely to address Merck’s growth strategy, financial results, product approvals and development programs. One must carefully consider any such statement and should understand that many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. These factors include inaccurate assumptions and a broad variety of other risks and uncertainties, including some that are known and some that are not. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Information regarding important factors that could cause actual results to differ, perhaps materially, from the anticipated results in our forward-looking statements is contained from time to time in our annual and quarterly report filings with the SEC, including under the caption “Item 1 – Business – Cautionary Factors that May Affect Future Results” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003, which is incorporated into this prospectus by reference. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page 29 for information on how to obtain a copy of this annual report.

We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or to release publicly the results of any future revisions we may make to forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution


SEC registration fee	$	380,100
Accountants’ fees and expenses.		20,000
Attorneys’ fees and expenses		250,000
Printing and engraving expenses		10,000
Fees and expenses of trustee		35,000
Rating agencies’ fees		500,000
Miscellaneous		10,000

Total	$	1,205,100

All fees and expenses in this table other than the SEC registration fee are estimated.

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

The New Jersey Business Corporation Act provides that a New Jersey corporation has the power to indemnify a director or officer against his or her expenses and liabilities in connection with any proceeding involving the director or officer by reason of his or her being or having been such a director or officer, other than a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation, if such a director or officer acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation; and with respect to any criminal proceeding, such director or officer had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.

The indemnification and advancement of expenses shall not exclude any other rights, including the right to be indemnified against liabilities and expenses incurred in proceedings by or in the right of the corporation, to which a director or officer may be entitled under a certificate of incorporation, bylaw, agreement, vote of shareholders, or otherwise; provided that no indemnification shall be made to or on behalf of a director or officer if a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to the director or officer establishes that his or her omissions (a) were in breach of his or her duty of loyalty to the corporation or its shareholders, (b) were not in good faith or involved a knowing violation of law or (c) resulted in receipt by the director or officer of an improper personal benefit.

The Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of New Jersey, directors and officers of the Company shall not be personally liable to the Company or its stockholders, except that a director or officer shall not be relieved from liability for any breach of duty based upon an act or omission (a) in breach of such person’s duty of loyalty to the Company or its stockholders, (b) not in good faith or involving a knowing violation of law or (c) resulting in receipt by such person of an improper personal benefit.

The By-Laws of the Company provide that a former, present or future director, officer or employee of the Company or the legal representative of any such director, officer or employee shall be indemnified by the Company:

(a) against reasonable costs, disbursements and counsel fees paid or incurred where such person has been successful in the defense on the merits or otherwise of any pending, threatened or completed civil, criminal, administrative or arbitrative action, suit or proceeding, brought by reason of such person’s being or having been such director, officer or employee,

(b) with respect to the defense of any such action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation for which indemnification is not made under (a) above, against reasonable costs, disbursements (which shall include amounts paid in satisfaction of settlements, judgments, fines and penalties, exclusive, however, of any amount paid or payable to the Company) and counsel fees if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and in connection with any criminal proceedings such person also had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct was unlawful, with the determination as to whether the applicable standard of conduct was met to be made by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors (sitting as a Committee of the Board)

who were not parties to such inquiry, investigation, action, suit or proceeding or by any one or more disinterested counsel to whom the question may be referred by the Board of Directors; provided, however, in connection with any proceeding by or in the right of the Company, no indemnification shall be provided as to any person adjudged by any court to be liable to the Company except as and to the extent determined by such court.

The Company enters into indemnification agreements with its directors and officers and enters into insurance agreements on its own behalf. The indemnification agreements provide that the Company agrees to hold harmless and indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by the Business Corporation Act of the State of New Jersey, or any other applicable law, or by any amendment thereof or other statutory provisions authorizing or permitting such indemnification that is adopted after the date hereof. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company agrees to hold harmless and indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law against any and all expenses, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by its directors and officers in connection with the defense of any present or future threatened, pending, or completed claim, action, suit, or proceeding by reason of the fact that they were, are, shall be, or shall have been a director or officer of the Company, or are or were serving, shall serve, or shall have served, at the request of the Company, as a director or officer of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan, or other enterprise.

A Resolution adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors provides, that to the extent permitted by applicable law and not prohibited by the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws, the Company shall (i) indemnify and save harmless each and every past and present director and officer of the Company against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which such officer or director may become subject, under the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, any state Blue Sky or securities laws, domestic or foreign or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise in connection with this Registration Statement or any amendments (including, without limitation, post-effective amendments) or supplements thereto and any Prospectus included therein, or other agreements thereunder and (ii) reimburse each such director and officer for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim.

Item 16. Exhibits


1		Form of Underwriting Agreement.*
4(a)		Indenture, dated as of April 1, 1991, between Merck & Co., Inc. and Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York, as Inc. and Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York, as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 33-39349)).
4(b)		First Supplemental Indenture between Merck and First Trust of New York, National Association, as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4(b) to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-36383)).
5		Opinion and consent of Kenneth C. Frazier, Esq.*
12		Computation of Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 12 to Merck’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004 (File No. 1-03305)).
23(a)		Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.*
23(b)		Consent of counsel (included as part of Exhibit 5).*
24		Power of Attorney (included in the signature page hereto).*
25		Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, of U.S. Bank Trust National Association.*

* Previously filed

`
Item 17. Undertakings

1. The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(a) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

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(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement;

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement; provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(i) and (a)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

(b) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

2. The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

3. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the provisions described under Item 15 above, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted against the Registrant by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Whitehouse Station, State of New Jersey, on the 10th day of December, 2004.


		By		/s/ Celia A. Colbert

				Celia A. Colbert
				Vice President, Secretary & Assistant General Counsel

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:


Signature		Title

*

(Raymond V. Gilmartin)		Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (principal executive officer)

*

(Judy C. Lewent)		Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and President, Human Health Asia (principal financial officer)

*

(Richard C. Henriques, Jr.)		Vice President, Controller (principal accounting officer)

*

(Lawrence A. Bossidy)		Director

*

(William G. Bowen)		Director

*

(Johnnetta B. Cole)		Director

*

(William B. Harrison, Jr.)		Director

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	•		the title of the debt securities of the series;

	•		any limit on the total principal amount of the debt securities of the series;

	•		the person to whom interest on a debt security is payable, if other than the holder on the regular record date;

	•		the date or dates on which the debt securities of the series are scheduled to mature;

	•		any rate or rates, which may be fixed or variable, per annum at which the debt securities of the series will bear interest, if any, and the date or dates from which any interest will accrue;


	•		the date or dates on which any interest on the debt securities of the series will be payable and the regular record date or dates we will use to determine who is entitled to receive each interest payment;

	•		the place or places where the principal and any premium and interest will be payable;

	•		any date after which, or any period or periods within which, and the price or prices at which, we will have the option to redeem the debt securities of the series, and the other detailed terms and provisions of any optional redemption right;

	•		any obligation we will have to redeem the debt securities of the series under a sinking fund or analogous provision or to redeem your debt securities at your option and the period or periods during which, the price or prices at which and the other specific terms under which, we would be obligated to redeem the debt securities of the series under any obligation of this kind;

	•		if other than denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples thereof, the denominations in which we will issue the debt securities of the series;

	•		if other than United States dollars, the currency of payment of the principal and any premium and interest on the debt securities of the series;

	•		any index or other special method we will use to determine the amount of principal or any premium or interest we will pay on the debt securities of the series;

	•		if we or you have a right to choose the currency, currency units or composite currencies in which payments on any of the debt securities of the series will be made, the currencies, currency units or composite currencies that we or you may elect, when we or you may make the election and the other specific terms of the right to make an election of this kind;

	•		if other than the principal amount, the portion of the principal amount of the debt securities of the series which will be payable upon the declaration of acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities of the series;

	•		the applicability of the provisions described on page 10 under “— Defeasance”;

	•		if we will issue the debt securities of the series only in the form of global securities as described below under “— Global Securities”, the name of the depository for the debt securities of the series and the circumstances under which the trustee may terminate the global securities and register separate debt securities in the names of persons other than the depository or its nominee if other than those circumstances described on page 14 under “— Special Situations When a Global Security will be Terminated”; and

	•		any other special terms of the debt securities of the series that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the indenture.

	•		*Additional mechanics* relevant to the debt securities under normal circumstances, such as how you transfer ownership and where we make payments.

	•		Your rights under several *special situations,* such as if we merge with another company or if we want to change a term of the debt securities.

	•		*Restrictive covenants* contained in the indenture which specify particular business actions that we promise not to take. Particular debt securities of a series may have additional restrictive covenants.

	•		Our right to release ourselves from all or some of our obligations under the debt securities and the indenture by a process called *defeasance*.

	•		Your rights if we *default* or experience other financial difficulties.

	•		Our relationship with the trustee.

	•		only in fully registered form;

	•		without interest coupons; and

	•		unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000. (section 302)

	•		The merger, sale of assets or other transaction must not cause a default on the debt securities, and we must not already be in default unless the merger or other transaction would cure the default. For purposes of this no-default test, a default would include an event of default, as described on page 11, that has occurred and not been cured. A default for this purpose would also include the occurrence of any event that would be an event of default if we received the required notice of our default or if under the indenture the default would become an event of default after existing for a specific period of time. (section 801)

	•		It is possible that the merger, sale of assets or other transaction would cause some of our property to become subject to a mortgage or other legal mechanism giving lenders preferential rights in that property over other lenders or over our general creditors if we fail to pay them back. We have promised to limit these preferential rights, as discussed under “— Restrictive Covenants” on pages 8 through 10. If a merger or other transaction would create any liens on any of our property we must comply with those restrictive covenants. We would do this either by deciding that the liens were permitted, or by following the requirements of the restrictive covenants to grant an equivalent or higher-ranking lien to you and the other direct holders of the debt securities on the same property that we own.

	•		change the payment due date of any installment of the principal or any premium or interest on a debt security stated in the debt security;

	•		reduce any amounts due on a debt security;

	•		reduce the amount of principal payable upon acceleration of the maturity of an original issue discount debt security following a default;

	•		change the place or currency of payment on a debt security;

	•		impair your right to sue for payment;

	•		reduce the percentage of debt securities the holders of which must consent to modify or amend the indenture;

	•		reduce the percentage of debt securities the holders of which must consent to waive compliance with certain provisions of the indenture or to waive certain defaults; and

	•		modify any other aspect of the provisions dealing with modification and waiver of the indenture. (section 902)

	•		You cannot have debt securities registered in your own name.

	•		You cannot receive physical certificates for your interest in the debt securities.

	1.		.015 multiplied by the product of the total noncontingent principal payments and the number of complete years to maturity from the issue date, or

	2.		15 percent of the total noncontingent principal payments; and

	1.		one or more qualified floating rates,

	2.		a single fixed rate and one or more qualified floating rates,

	3.		a single objective rate, or

	4.		a single fixed rate and a single objective rate that is a qualified inverse floating rate.

	1.		a fixed multiple that is greater than 0.65 but not more than 1.35 or

	2.		a fixed multiple greater than 0.65 but not more than 1.35, increased or decreased by a fixed rate; and

	1.		you do not actually or constructively own 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of Merck & Co., Inc. entitled to vote,

	2.		you are not a controlled foreign corporation that is related to us through stock ownership, and

	3.		the U.S. payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a United States person and:

	a.		you have furnished to the U.S. payor an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or an acceptable substitute form upon which you certify, under penalties of perjury, that you are a non-United States person,

	b.		in the case of payments made outside the United States to you at an offshore account (generally, an account maintained by you at a bank or other financial institution at any location outside the United States), you have furnished to the U.S. payor documentation that establishes your identity and your status as a non-United States person,

	c.		the U.S. payor has received a withholding certificate (furnished on an appropriate Internal Revenue Service Form W-8 or an acceptable substitute form) from a person claiming to be:

	i.		withholding foreign partnership (generally a foreign partnership that has entered into an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service to a assume primary withholding responsibility with respect to distributions and guaranteed payments it makes to its partners),

	ii.		a qualified intermediary (generally a non-United States financial institution or clearing organization or a non-United States branch or office of a United States financial institution or clearing organization that is a party to a withholding agreement with the Internal Revenue Service), or

	iii.		a U.S. branch of a non-United States bank or of a non-United States insurance company,

			and the withholding foreign partnership, qualified intermediary or U.S. branch has received documentation upon which it may rely to treat the payment as made to a non-United States person in accordance with U.S. Treasury regulations (or, in the case of a qualified intermediary, in accordance with its agreement with the Internal Revenue Service),

	d.		the U.S. payor receives a statement from a securities clearing organization, bank or other financial institution that holds customers’ securities in the ordinary course of its trade or business,

	i.		certifying to the U.S. payor under penalties of perjury that an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or an acceptable substitute form has been received from you by it or by a similar financial institution between it and you, and

	ii.		to which is attached a copy of the Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or acceptable substitute form, or


Signature		Title

*

(William N. Kelley)		Director

*

(Thomas E. Shenk)		Director



(Anne M. Tatlock)		Director

*

(Samuel O. Thier)		Director



(Wendell P. Weeks)		Director



(Rochelle B. Lazarus)		Director

*

(Peter C. Wendell)		Director