My husband has had a pacemaker for about 11 years, having it replaced once. He recently was told by the pacemaker technician that his heart was not beating at all on its own now.  How long will a heart last when it is  completely dependent on a pacemaker to beat?

The Merck pharma company in the Dec. 28 blog is Merck KGaA of Germany, not Merck & Co. of the US. The article referenced is about Merck KGaA and the executive quoted is from that company. The huge sum of cash mentioned and the logo belong to the US Merck. Merck of Germany also makes chemicals and is the largest producer of liquid crystals. Established in 1668 and with revenues of nearly $11 billion generated in 60 countries, it is quite well known in the global pharma industry.

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