Merck's New HIV Medication Shows Comparable Results to Gilead's Biktarvy in Phase 3 Trials as Keytruda Patent Expiration Approaches
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 25 2026
0mins
Should l Buy MRK?
Source: Barron's
- Merck's Patent Protection: Merck has several years before losing patent protection on its primary revenue source, which is crucial for the company's financial stability.
- Focus on New Drug Development: The company is under pressure to develop a new breakthrough drug to maintain its market position and revenue stream.
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Analyst Views on MRK
Wall Street analysts forecast MRK stock price to fall
16 Analyst Rating
11 Buy
5 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 119.830
Low
95.00
Averages
119.53
High
139.00
Current: 119.830
Low
95.00
Averages
119.53
High
139.00
About MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. is a global health care company that delivers health solutions through its prescription medicines, including biologic therapies, vaccines and animal health products. Its Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products. The Company sells its human health pharmaceutical products primarily to drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, government agencies and managed health care providers. It sells these human health vaccines primarily to physicians, wholesalers, distributors and government entities. Its Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a range of veterinary pharmaceutical and vaccine products, as well as health management solutions and services, for the prevention, treatment and control of disease in all livestock and companion animal species. Its products include KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) injection, for intravenous use; WELIREG (belzutifan) tablets, for oral use; Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine) and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- E-commerce Competitive Edge: Walmart's leadership in the U.S. e-commerce space allows it to attract customers with prices lower than most competitors, further solidifying its market share even amidst a challenging retail environment.
- Moderna's Vaccine Progress: Moderna's investigational personalized cancer vaccine, mRNA-4157, has shown strong efficacy in preventing recurrence or death in melanoma patients when combined with Merck's Keytruda over five years, marking a significant advancement for the company in the biotech field.
- Future Growth Potential: Although Moderna faces challenges with declining sales of its COVID-19 vaccine, the potential of its mRNA platform and upcoming new vaccines are expected to drive strong revenue growth and stock market performance in the coming years, promising substantial returns for investors.
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- E-commerce Competitiveness: As a leading e-commerce player in the U.S., Walmart maintains a pricing advantage, allowing it to continue attracting consumers even as everyday item prices rise, thereby enhancing its market share.
- Moderna's Vaccine Progress: Moderna's investigational personalized cancer vaccine, mRNA-4157, has shown strong efficacy in preventing recurrence or death in melanoma patients when combined with Merck's Keytruda, and is expected to gain approval within the next few years.
- Innovation and Financial Outlook: Despite facing declining sales, Moderna's mRNA platform and upcoming new vaccines are poised to improve financial performance, potentially driving strong revenue growth in the medium term.
See More
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- Bladder Cancer Therapy Shortage: ImmunityBio highlighted a “terrible” shortage of the standard bladder cancer therapy BCG, with Merck as the sole global supplier, potentially delaying patient treatments and impacting the company's market share.
- Anktiva Launch in Saudi Arabia: The company is ready to ship Anktiva to Saudi Arabia following two approvals from the Saudi FDA, and despite escalating geopolitical tensions in the region, ImmunityBio remains committed to expanding its immunotherapy offerings in this market.
- Improved Financial Performance: ImmunityBio reported a net loss of $351.4 million for FY25, narrowing from $413.6 million the previous year, with product revenue reaching $113 million, up 700%, indicating a significant increase in clinical adoption of Anktiva.
- Recombinant BCG Initiative: The company emphasized its recombinant BCG program as a potential solution to the BCG shortage, with the FDA authorizing an expanded access program in February 2025, enrolling 580 patients to date, showcasing ImmunityBio's proactive approach to market challenges.
See More
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- Strategic Collaboration: Tempus AI has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Merck aimed at accelerating AI-driven precision medicine, leveraging Tempus' multimodal data library and advanced Lens platform to enhance the discovery and development of precision medicine biomarkers.
- Market Impact: Despite the strategic significance of the partnership with Merck, Tempus' stock is under pressure due to broader market declines, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq falling by 1.78% and 2.18%, respectively, indicating the influence of market sentiment on individual stocks.
- Financial Performance: In its latest earnings report, Tempus reported a quarterly loss of four cents per share, in line with expectations, while quarterly revenue reached $367.21 million, exceeding the Street estimate of $362.29 million and representing an 83% increase from $200.68 million in the prior year.
- Technical Analysis: Tempus' stock is currently trading 9.8% below its 100-day simple moving average, indicating potential weakness in the long-term trend, with an RSI of 44.45 suggesting neutral market conditions, and a MACD of 0.15 below its signal line of 0.22 indicating bearish pressure.
See More
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- Collaboration Agreement: Merck has brokered a partnership with Tempus AI aimed at leveraging Tempus' de-identified data and Lens platform technology to accelerate the discovery and development of precision oncology biomarkers, potentially leading to new treatments.
- Technology Utilization: The collaboration enables researchers to efficiently conduct complex analyses on multimodal datasets, generating novel insights that are expected to significantly enhance the efficiency of therapy development and optimization.
- Strategic Importance: According to George Addona, SVP of Merck Research Laboratories, this partnership will advance Merck's precision oncology strategy by applying cutting-edge AI/ML capabilities to discover new biomarkers and identify mechanisms of cancer cell resistance.
- Market Implications: This collaboration not only strengthens Merck's competitive position in the precision medicine field but also provides rational combinations for early pipeline drugs, further solidifying its leadership in the oncology treatment market.
See More
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- Importance of Vaccination: Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the NIH, emphasized that there is no cure for measles, making prevention critical, and that the MMR vaccine is the most reliable method to protect individuals and entire communities.
- Current Outbreak Status: South Carolina is experiencing a measles outbreak with 985 reported cases, accounting for a majority of U.S. cases, while the CDC has recorded over 1,000 cases nationwide as of February 26, indicating the severity of the situation.
- Vaccine Market Dynamics: Merck and GSK market MMR vaccines in the U.S., and with the escalating outbreak, the demand for vaccines is likely to rise significantly, potentially impacting the sales performance of both companies.
- Public Health Advocacy: Bhattacharya released a video on social media urging the public to get vaccinated, highlighting that vaccination is not only crucial for individual health but also a key measure to protect communities from the outbreak.
See More
