Merck & Co., Inc. MRK used its second-quarter 2026 call to stress faster pipeline progress and launch execution. Management raised the sales outlook even as acquisition charges produced a quarterly loss.
The call also focused on LIPFENDRA access, KEYTRUDA’s loss-of-exclusivity transition and whether newer oncology and immunology assets can sustain growth.
MRK Raises Sales Outlook Despite Deal Costs
Second-quarter revenues rose 5% to $16.61 billion, above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $16.33 billion. The non-GAAP loss of 13 cents per share beat the consensus loss estimate of 26 cents.
Non-GAAP gross margin fell 1.1 points to 81.1% on higher inventory reserves. Operating expenses reached $12.6 billion, including a $5.7 billion Terns charge; excluding business-development charges, expenses grew 7%.
Executive vice president and CFO Caroline Litchfield raised and narrowed 2026 revenue guidance to $66.3 billion-$67.3 billion from $65.8 billion-$67.0 billion. Non-GAAP EPS guidance moved to $2.66-$2.76 from $5.04-$5.16, reflecting Terns-related costs.
Merck Broadens Growth Beyond KEYTRUDA
Litchfield said the KEYTRUDA family generated $8.4 billion, up 4% excluding currency, as earlier-stage and metastatic cancers supported demand. KEYTRUDA QLEX contributed $463 million after its permanent reimbursement code took effect.
Newer products added diversification. WINREVAIR sales rose 75% to $588 million, WELIREG increased 67% to $271 million, and OHTUVAYRE contributed $204 million.
Litchfield cautioned that third-quarter OHTUVAYRE sales will reflect an unwind of specialty-pharmacy purchases. She also expects U.S. KEYTRUDA growth to moderate as penetration peaks in several indications.
MRK Takes a Long View on LIPFENDRA
Chairman, president and CEO Robert Davis said physician and patient interest in newly approved LIPFENDRA was high. The oral PCSK9 inhibitor lowered LDL cholesterol by up to 60% when added to a statin.
Davis said access should broaden over time, but reimbursement work will restrain the initial launch pace. Management is targeting undertreated patients rather than primarily switching users from injectable PCSK9 therapies.
Executive vice president and Merck Research Laboratories president Dean Li said fixed-dose combinations with rosuvastatin and an oral Lp(a) inhibitor are under development. LIPFENDRA’s cardiovascular outcomes study is due in 2029.
Merck Defends Its Post-KEYTRUDA Bridge
Davis reiterated that more than 20 products represent over $70 billion in commercial opportunity. Ten programs account for 70% of that total, and several produced positive data sooner than expected.
He expects the KEYTRUDA exclusivity transition to create a shallow decline followed by a fast return to growth. On a non-risk-adjusted basis, management still aspires to grow through the period, though more work is required.
The $6.8 billion Terns acquisition adds chronic myeloid leukemia candidate MK-4208. Litchfield said business development remains a priority alongside the dividend and about $3 billion of planned 2026 share repurchases.
MRK Fields Questions on Key Pipeline Assets
A Jefferies analyst asked whether sac-TMT could move broadly into first-line lung cancer. Li said Merck is advancing studies pairing the antibody-drug conjugate with KEYTRUDA and could also evaluate a PD-1/VEGF agent.
UBS and Evercore analysts pressed management on tulisokibart after positive ulcerative colitis and hidradenitis suppurativa data but a failed systemic sclerosis study. Li said the failure does not alter Merck’s immunofibrosis thesis and emphasized the candidate’s safety profile for combinations.
A Wells Fargo analyst questioned the added Northern Hemisphere season for the influenza prevention study. Li said no interim analysis prompted the change; the extension strengthens global filings while preserving a 2029 launch target.
Merck Keeps Execution at the Center
Management’s posture was confident across launches, pipeline development and capital allocation. Executives centered the strategy on converting clinical progress into approvals, reimbursement and durable product adoption.
Near-term financial noise remains dominated by acquisition charges and launch timing. Merck is prioritizing diversification before KEYTRUDA’s exclusivity loss, with commercialization and late-stage readouts central to the second half.
MRK's Zacks Signals Remain Cautious
MRK carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating unfavorable earnings-estimate revision trends over the near-term one-to-three-month horizon. Its Value, Growth, Momentum and VGM Scores are all C, placing each in the middle of the A-to-F scale. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
That combination lacks the stronger alignment associated with Zacks Rank #1 or #2 (Buy) stocks carrying A or B Style Scores. The Zacks Rank can change as analysts revise estimates after the just-reported results, so the current signal is not permanent.
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Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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