Merck image

Revenues down at MSD

pharmafile | February 4, 2016 | News story | Sales and Marketing MSD, financial performance, profits, revenue, sales 

MSD (Merck, Sharpe and Dohme) reported a mixed bag of financial figures today, as the company announced full-year 2015 revenues down 6% to $39.5 billion, hit by negative currency impact as well as acquisitions and divestitures.

The Q4 decline was only half as bad, with revenues for the last three-month period down 3% to $10.2 billion, this time including a 4% net favourable impact from acquisitions and divestitures.

Non-GAAP earnings per share, however, rose 7% to $0.93 for the quarter and 3% to $3.59 for the year.

The New Jersey-based company also sent a positive message for the future, particularly with regard to its significantly expanded Keytruda (pembrolizumab) development programme, as well as prospects for newly-approved hepatitis C treatment Zepatier (elbasvir and grazoprevir).

Chairman and chief executive Kenneth Frazier comments: “In 2016 we will build upon the strong foundation we established last year. We will continue to invest resources to launch and grow our strongest brands, support the most promising internal assets, enhance our pipeline with the best available external science and maintain a balanced and differentiated portfolio, with the goal of delivering long-term growth and shareholder value.”

“We will pursue numerous filings and approvals in 2016,” adds Dr Roger Perlmutter, president, Merck Research Laboratories. “For example, we view Keytruda as foundational in the next-generation treatment of malignant disease, and hence have embarked upon an exceptionally broad development program for this agent, with registration-enabling studies underway in more than a dozen tumour types. We will also pursue more than 100 studies involving combinations of KEYTRUDA with other drugs.”

MSD says it expects worldwide sales in 2016 to be between $38.7 billion and $40.2 billion.

Joel Levy

Related Content

Merck to acquire Harpoon Therapeutics for approximately $680m

Merck (known as MSD outside of the US and Canada) and Harpoon Therapeutics have announced …

markus-spiske-hvsr_cvecvi-unsplash

Owkin and Merck enter collaboration agreement for AI-powered cancer diagnostics

Owkin and Merck, known as MSD outside of the US and Canada, have announced that …

Merck to acquire Caraway Therapeutics for up to $610m

Merck (known as MSD outside of the US and Canada) and Caraway Therapeutics have announced …

Latest content