DRUGMAKERS POST 1ST-QUARTER PROFIT GAINS

Drugmakers Merck & Co. and Eli Lilly and Co. on Thursday posted double-digit increases in first-quarter profit, while Schering-Plough Corp. tripled its small profit of a year ago. All three pharmaceutical companies beat analysts' expectations on net income, but Merck and Lilly came in slightly below the analysts' revenue forecasts.

The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/21/AR2006042100363.html)