Merck Q2 Sales Hit $16.6B; sac-TMT Seen as Keytruda-Like Lung Cancer Play
MRK sits 66% above its 52-week low of $77.58.
Summary
Merck posted Q2 sales of $16.6B, up 5% YoY, with Keytruda at $8.4B and Winrevair surging 75% to $588M. The company raised its full-year sales guidance to $66.3–67.3B and adjusted EPS to $2.66–2.76. This follows yesterday's Reuters report on the beat, but today's headline adds a key strategic angle: sac-TMT, an ADC targeting Trop-2, is advancing in multiple Phase 3 trials and is being positioned as a cornerstone that could reshape lung cancer combination strategies akin to KEYNOTE-189. That signals a potential new growth pillar beyond Keytruda's 2028 patent cliff. The $5.7B acquisition charge drove a GAAP loss, but the pipeline narrative is what matters here.
At the time of this announcement, MRK was trading at $128.72 on NYSE in the Life Sciences sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $316.1B. The 52-week trading range was $77.58 to $135.05. This news item was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10. Source: Wiseek News.