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Merck: It’s Not Just Keytruda Driving Future Growth

 
• By Mandy Jackson

The company will depend on Keytruda for growth after spinning out some franchises, but executives argued during its Q4 earnings call that there will be much more to Merck than the cancer blockbuster.

Merck_New_Jersey
Merck posted 11% pharma sales growth in 2019

Merck & Co. Inc. issued an earnings day surprise for investors when it announced on 5 February that it will spin out a handful of older franchises in a new company, leaving Merck with a portfolio dominated by the immuno-oncology blockbuster Keytruda (pembrolizumab).

Executives objected to analyst concerns that Merck going forward will be too dependent on the PD-1 inhibitor, noting during the company’s earnings call that many sources of growth will be retained. Keytruda sales grew 55% in 2019 to $11

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