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$3,817,795,000

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 December 16, 2004.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

      This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC utilizing a shelf registration process. Under this shelf process, we may sell any combination of the debt securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total amount of $3,817,795,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the debt securities we may offer. Each time we sell debt securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add to or update other information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” on page 29.

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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

      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:

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      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

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.

      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

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      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:

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      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.

Overview of Remainder of this Description

      The remainder of this description summarizes:

Additional Mechanics

Form, Exchange and Registration of Transfer

      We will issue the debt securities:

      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

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      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)

      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)

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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:

      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:

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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:

      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

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      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 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:

      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:

      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:

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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:

      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)

      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

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

      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:

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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:

      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:

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.

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

      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:

      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 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,

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      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:

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      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:

      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.

      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.

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      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:

      divided by:

      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 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:

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      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:

      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:

      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:

      divided by:

      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:

      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

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      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:

      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:

      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

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

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

      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:

      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

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

      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:

      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:

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 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

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      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:

      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 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.

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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:

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:

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

      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.

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      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:

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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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:

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

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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:

      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.

      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:

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.

      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:

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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:

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

      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.

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      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.

      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.

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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:

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

Corporate Secretary

      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 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

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      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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