Schering-Plough shareholders back $41.1 billion acquisition by partner Merck & Co.

Schering-Plough shareholders OK purchase by Merck

TRENTON, N.J. — Shareholders of drugmaker Schering-Plough almost unanimously support being bought by bigger New Jersey neighbor Merck.

Schering-Plough stockholders have approved the deal by a margin of more than 99 percent.

The vote came at a very brief special meeting in Boston, where Schering has some facilities.

The acquisition of allows Merck, the world’s eighth-biggest drugmaker by prescription medicine sales, to leapfrog to No. 2 worldwide. That puts the new company just behind Pfizer Inc.

The new Merck would have about $42.4 billion in annual sales,

The two companies still need approval from the Federal Trade Commission and regulators in other countries. They plan to close the deal in the fourth quarter.