Merck (MRK) announced that the FDA had granted approval to V116, its 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal pneumonia in adults. For the prevention of pneumonia indication, the FDA granted accelerated approval.The vaccine will be marketed by the trade name of Capvaxive. Capvaxive becomes the first PCV specifically designed for adults to be approved by the FDA. Capvaxive targets serotypes that account for approximately 84% of all i ...

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Merck's new vaccine designed to protect adults from a bacteria known as pneumococcus that can cause serious illnesses and a lung infection called pneumonia, a spokesperson for the drugmaker said.Merck's shot, called Capvaxive, specifically protects against 21 strains of that bacteria to prevent a severe form of pneumococcal disease that can spread to other parts of the body and lead to pneumonia. It's the first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine designed speci ...

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Goldman Sachs 45th Annual Global Healthcare Conference Call June 11, 2024 10:00 AM ET Company Participants Robert Davis - Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Dean Li - Executive Vice President and President, Merck Research Laboratories Conference Call Participants Chris Shibutani - Goldman Sachs Chris Shibutani Okay, let's get underway. Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the Second Day of the conference. My name is Chris Shibutani. And on behalf of the entire Go ...

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Goldman Sachs 45th Annual Global Healthcare Conference Call June 11, 2024 10:00 AM ET Company Participants Robert Davis - Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Dean Li - Executive Vice President and President, Merck Research Laboratories Conference Call Participants Chris Shibutani - Goldman Sachs Chris Shibutani Okay, let's get underway. Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the Second Day of the conference. My name is Chris Shibutani. And on behalf of the entire Go ...

Nudphon PhuengsuwanIntroduction I usually spend my mornings browsing various news outlets. This was part of a prior job where I provided daily macro and geopolitical newsletters for both private and institutional clients. This includes American, German, French, Italian, and newspapers from other regions. I use translation for most of these (except English, Dutch, and German languages). I mainly do this to get a good overview of what is happening across the world and how this could impact the stocks that ...

Group 1: Pfizer - Pfizer's stock has underperformed recently despite its significant contributions to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments [2] - Billionaires such as John Overdeck and Ken Griffin have increased their holdings in Pfizer, with Two Sigma Investments adding 10.5 million shares and Citadel Advisors acquiring nearly 880,000 shares [2] - Pfizer's revenue and net income have declined as the COVID-19 related boost has diminished, but the company is expanding its product pipeline significantly [3] - The company has received seven new product approvals in the past year, indicating a rejuvenated pipeline that is expected to yield more than the previous one or two approvals per year [3] - Pfizer's acquisition of Seagen for $43 billion has enhanced its oncology capabilities, and it has consistently raised its dividends by 61.5% over the past decade, with a forward yield of 5.86% [4] Group 2: Merck - Merck has also attracted billionaire investors, with Citadel Advisors purchasing 1.26 million shares and Millennium Management acquiring 4.02 million shares [5] - Keytruda, Merck's leading cancer therapy, generated $6.9 billion in revenue, accounting for nearly 44% of total sales, which increased by 9% year over year to $15.8 billion [5][6] - Merck is developing a subcutaneous formulation of Keytruda to extend its market presence as the patent exclusivity will expire by 2028 [6] - The company has received a new approval for Winrevair, a treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension, with peak sales projected to exceed $2 billion [7] - Merck has raised its dividends by 75% over the past decade, with a forward yield of over 2.45%, making it an attractive option for income-seeking investors [7]

Company Performance - Merck (MRK) closed at $129.45, reflecting a +0.57% change from the previous session, which is lower than the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.19% [1] - Over the past month, Merck's shares have decreased by 1.28%, underperforming the Medical sector's gain of 3.54% and the S&P 500's gain of 3.35% [1] - The upcoming earnings report is scheduled for July 30, 2024, with an expected EPS of $2.14, representing a 203.88% increase from the same quarter last year [1] - Revenue is forecasted to be $15.88 billion, indicating a 5.65% growth compared to the same quarter last year [1] Fiscal Year Estimates - For the entire fiscal year, earnings are projected at $8.62 per share and revenue at $64.4 billion, reflecting changes of +470.86% and +7.13% respectively from the previous year [2] - Recent analyst estimate revisions indicate positive sentiment towards Merck's business operations and profit generation capabilities [2] Valuation Metrics - Merck currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 14.93, which is a premium compared to the industry average Forward P/E of 14.4 [3] - The PEG ratio for Merck stands at 1.66, slightly above the industry average PEG ratio of 1.64 [3] Industry Context - The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry, part of the Medical sector, has a Zacks Industry Rank of 151, placing it in the bottom 41% of over 250 industries [4] - The Zacks Industry Rank measures the strength of industry groups based on the average Zacks Rank of individual stocks, with the top 50% rated industries outperforming the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1 [4]

Summary of Merck & Co., Inc. Investor Event at ASCO 2024 Company Overview - **Company**: Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) - **Event**: Investor Event at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting - **Date**: June 3, 2024 Key Industry Insights Oncology Pipeline Progress - Merck has made significant advancements in its oncology pipeline since early 2021, increasing the number of approved indications from 40 to 53, and approvals in earlier-stage cancers from 2 to 10 [9] - The company has expanded late-phase candidates being studied in combination from 2 to 9 [9] - KEYTRUDA is the only PD-1/PD-L1 therapy with 9 U.S. approvals in earlier-stage disease, demonstrating significant overall survival (OS) benefits in four earlier-stage tumor types: non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), cervical cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) [10] Strategic Pillars - Merck's oncology strategy is built on three pillars: 1. **Immuno-oncology**: Led by KEYTRUDA and V940, with ongoing trials for subcutaneous pembrolizumab [14] 2. **Precision Molecular Targeting**: Includes licensed and investigational medicines like belzutifan (HIF-2 alpha inhibitor) and MK-1084 (KRAS G12C inhibitor) [16] 3. **Tissue-Targeting Medicines**: Focus on antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and T-cell engagers, with a robust pipeline [17] Clinical Trials and Approvals - Merck has enrolled approximately 30,000 patients across over 30 Phase III clinical trials in earlier-stage cancers [20] - Recent approvals include KEYTRUDA's use in melanoma, lung cancer, RCC, bladder cancer, and TNBC, with a notable 28% reduction in the risk of death in resectable non-small cell lung cancer [21][22] - The company anticipates significant readouts in earlier-stage cancers over the next few years, which will guide future pipeline development [11] Commercial Landscape - Merck's oncology business has reached 2.6 million patients globally, with 53 approved indications in the U.S. and over 70 in the EU and Japan [42] - Earlier-stage indications are becoming a significant growth driver, with treatment rates for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer increasing from 35% to 65% since the launch of KEYNOTE-091 [43] - The company expects earlier-stage indications to represent 25% of overall KEYTRUDA revenue by the end of 2023 [44] Future Outlook - Merck's oncology pipeline is projected to contribute an incremental $20 billion in sales by the mid-2030s, excluding currently marketed products [48] - The company is confident in its ability to maintain leadership in oncology through ongoing innovation and expansion into additional tumor types [50] Additional Important Points - The acquisition of Harpoon Therapeutics enhances Merck's capabilities in developing T-cell engagers, which are expected to address high unmet needs in small cell lung cancer [37][38] - Merck is focusing on optimizing therapy for high-risk patients while avoiding overtreatment for low-risk patients, utilizing a diverse range of candidate medicines with different mechanisms of action [23] - The company is committed to advancing its ADC portfolio, with promising data from ongoing studies indicating potential for significant clinical impact [30][34] This summary encapsulates the key points discussed during the Merck & Co., Inc. investor event, highlighting the company's strategic focus, pipeline advancements, and future growth potential in the oncology sector.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Investor Event at ASCO 2024 June 3, 2024 7:00 PM ET Company Participants Peter Dannenbaum - Senior Vice President, Investor Relations Dean Li - President of Merck Research Labs Eliav Barr - Chief Medical Officer & Head of Global Clinical Development Marjorie Green - Senior VP & Head of Late-Stage Oncology, Global Clinical Development Chirfi Guindo - Senior VP & Chief Marketing Officer of Human Health Joanne Monahan - Senior Vice President, US Oncology Conference Call Participant ...

Merck (MRK) announced a definitive agreement to acquire London-based private biotech Eyebiotech Limited (“EyeBio”), which makes therapies for retinal diseases. The buyout will expand Merck’s presence in the growing ophthalmology market. The acquisition will add EyeBio’s lead pipeline candidate, Restoret, a novel Wnt agonist antibody being developed for treating retinal diseases like diabetic macular edema (DME) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration in a phase Ib/IIa study called AMARONE. In Febru ...