Merck Temporarily Suspends Sales Of Zilmax

(RTTNews) - Healthcare giant Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK), Friday said it temporarily suspended sales of Zilmax, an FDA-approved supplement for cattle, in the United States and Canada. Media reports quoted that the cattle had trouble standing or walking after taking Zilmax. The supplement which has been used by farmers for almost two decades,improves the cattle's natural ability to convert feed into more lean beef. Zilmax had sales of $159 million in the United States and Canada in 2012.

The New Jersey based firm said as announced previously it will monitor the process of feeding of Zilmax, and review the factors such as nutrition, transportation and receiving facilities. Merck, however, said that it has stopped the sales of Zilmax temporarily to ensure effective implementation of its five-step plan to making responsible beef.

Commenting on the temporary suspension of sales and five-step plan, Varma, Senior Vice President Global R&D said: "...This important step demonstrates our commitment to providing our industry partners with data that will reaffirm confidence in Zilmax. We sincerely regret that this situation creates business challenges for our customers but it is critical to ensure that this process is conducted appropriately and with rigorous scientific measures. After the five-step plan is completed, the results will be shared publicly."