Merck Sues SmithKline Over Vaccine Rights

Merck & Co. Inc., claiming exclusive rights to distribute a chicken pox vaccine in the United States and Canada, sued four affiliates of SmithKline Beecham in an effort to block them from distributing their vaccine in the United States. Named as defendants are SmithKline Beecham U.S. affiliates SKB Pharmaceuticals Co., SKB Holdings Corp., SKB Corp. and the Belgian affiliate SKB Biologicals. No one at SmithKline’s U.S. offices in Philadelphia could be reached for comment. SmithKline is based in London. Merck stock climbed 25 cents to $83.25 in abbreviated trading on the New York Stock Exchange. In the U.S., the chicken pox virus hospitalizes 10,000 people a year and kills about 100, court papers said.