Merck’s (NYSE: MRK) Q2 2023 results reflect sustained underlying growth. Our company announced Q2 worldwide sales of $15.0 billion, an increase of 3% from Q2 2022.
“We continue to make great progress as we advance our broad and deep pipeline, raise the bar of innovation, and bring forward leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world,” said Rob Davis, chairman and chief executive officer, Merck. “We delivered robust underlying growth during the second quarter and are well positioned to achieve strong full-year results. I am proud of our talented, diverse and dedicated global team that continues to focus on creating value for patients and all our stakeholders now and well into the future.”
Merck anticipates full-year 2023 worldwide sales to be between $58.6 billion and $59.6 billion. Take a look at the infographic below for more details on Q2 2023 results.
Meet two women at the forefront of our HIV research
Two esteemed scientists share their motivations and hopes for the future of HIV research
July 18, 2023
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The field of HIV research has changed drastically in the past 40 years. In that time, we’ve evolved from helping people with HIV struggle to survive to seeing them fully thrive. Now we’re chasing a cure for HIV.
On top of a shift in focus, we’ve also seen a transformation in those who occupy the research space: more and more women are joining the fight.
We spoke with two of our own researchers who are leading the charge, Bonnie Howell, Ph.D., and Rebeca Plank, M.D., about what drives them, what’s changed, and what’s next in the HIV research landscape.
What drew you to HIV research?
Plank: I think my interest was first sparked at home by my parents, who actually met doing public health work in Chile. But it’s funny, despite that background, I wasn’t pre-med in college. I was an anthropology major. But during my senior thesis, I worked on a project around HIV prevention messaging. That stuck with me.
This includes making interventions relevant and accessible.
Howell: I can relate to that. I started working in HIV research after years of working in oncology and quickly recognized the unmet medical need. I realized that a lot of what I learned about cancer research could be applied to HIV as well.
I became passionate about HIV research because I saw it as an opportunity to change the storyline and apply my oncology experience to this different field.
In your mind, what’s been the biggest shift in HIV care?
Plank: I think the vast shift can be summed up by what I saw in med school. I was studying in San Francisco between 1996–2001, and I watched an inpatient hospital ward go from a place that housed critically ill people to a general medicine ward full of people rightfully expecting to feel better and go back home.
And that’s all due to the fast and impactful medical innovations — such as antiretrovirals to treat HIV — that helped save so many lives.
In a field that’s been historically male dominated, how does it feel to be a female in science and HIV research?
Howell: My experience is definitely unique because I’ve been at Merck for my entire career — and I’ve been constantly surrounded by powerful and brilliant women. It’s been a privilege to be a part of a company that champions diversity and inclusion and has empowered me to roll up my sleeves and contribute day in and day out to this important mission.
And I’m grateful for the chance to continue to add to the legacy Merck has established for itself in HIV — helping to change the way HIV has been treated since the start of the epidemic.
Plank: That said, there are still challenges facing women in HIV research. As a med student and also as a resident, it struck me that, looking around the hospital, there were relatively few women who were further along in their careers. It can be so important to see people succeeding who look like you, as role models and mentors — they show you what’s possible.
Howell: I completely agree. I also count myself lucky that I was mentored by female leaders who charted the course and were instrumental in increasing the number of women in research. Now I pay that forward and mentor the next generation of female researchers — especially those pursuing HIV.
Why do you think gender diversity is critical in HIV research?
Howell: Globally, women bear a huge brunt of this epidemic. A study in 2021 showed that 54% of all people with HIV are women and girls. Yet women are significantly under-represented in HIV clinical trials. We need to change that.
Equally important is making sure that the female perspective is represented within the HIV research community, so women with HIV can have advocates who share and understand their unique female experiences.
Plank: Prior to joining Merck, during my time doing field work in Kenya and Botswana, I learned a lot about the nuances and unique hardships of the female HIV experience. Globally, advocating for herself may not always be a woman’s first priority. Not to mention that the stigma of HIV is still too prevalent around the world, which may make it harder to seek care.
What advancement in HIV research do you hope to see during your lifetimes?
Howell: A cure. Whether that’s eradicating HIV from patients’ bodies or remission, where the virus still exists in the body but is controlled without lifelong treatment.
Plank: And then getting this cure — as well as other treatments and better methods for HIV prevention — to people in need, in the manner they need it. Access remains a huge issue, and part of that is the mode of treatment such as frequency of pills or injections. We hear consistently that having discreet treatment and prevention options would be critical.
What gives you the most hope?
Plank: So much can evolve in a single generation. These young women we’re working to help, someday they’ll be grandmothers. By empowering them with knowledge and by continuing our work in HIV, we hope to protect future generations.
Howell: The HIV community is so passionate and engaged, and we’re designing studies and treatments with those affected in mind. I’m excited to see what the future brings.
We continue to work at the forefront of the fight against HIV
Learn more about our commitment to HIV treatments and prevention through the years.
Listen as specialists from Merck discuss what they’re most excited about in researching potential treatments for neurologic disorders
July 11, 2023
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Our scientists are revolutionizing how we discover and develop treatments to address unmet medical needs in a number of areas, including neuroscience.
“It’s sort of like the final frontier,” said Joe Herring, scientific AVP, clinical research, in our new podcast. “You’re going off into space to try to figure out how to do very difficult things.”
For more, listen in as Herring sits down with Merck clinical research team senior principal scientists Yuki Mukai and Ari Merola as well as business development director Paige Lacatena to explore today’s breakthroughs and challenges in the field of neuroscience.
Merck’s business development and licensing team explain how they identify new opportunities to strengthen our robust R&D pipeline
June 1, 2023
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It takes a special kind of talent to find and secure the right deals to keep us at the forefront of innovation. Leaders from our business development and licensing team sat down to discuss how their work is a key component to building and maintaining a strong pipeline.
Here’s what you need to know:
01.
Harnessing our legacy
Our reputation for using leading-edge science can make business development connections easier, explains Lizabeth Leveille, vice president, business development.
02.
The speed and determination to get it done
Elizabeth Naldi-Jacob, vice president, business development, knows that having a direct line of reporting to the top is what sets Merck apart as a potential partner.
03.
Balancing the internal and the external
We have a one pipeline mindset, and each asset receives the same focus and rigor whether it comes from inside our company or out, says Christopher Mortko, vice president, business development.
04.
Working hand-in-hand with our scientists
Grace Han McMahon, associate vice president, business development, explains why engaging our internal science leaders is crucial to making the right deals.
05.
What we’re interested in (and why it’s everything)
Our panelists discuss why we focus on five key areas — and when we’re willing to look beyond them.
Great partnerships begin with great conversation. Learn more about how discovery & development and licensing shape the future of Merck.
Here for Good: Bridging the gap between bedside and bench
Members of Merck’s lung cancer clinical development team say working in the hospital inspired their drive to innovate for patients
May 24, 2023
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Dr. Ayman Samkari remembers how treating patients during his medical school rotations brought him face to face with the unmet needs of people with cancer. He learned to listen to what matters for patients beyond their diagnoses, and he sought new ways to make a greater impact as an oncologist.
Watch Samkari and Dr. Nazly Shariati discuss their passion for their work:
“Even though I enjoyed every moment of practicing medicine and treating patients with cancer, I had the question at the back of my mind: How can I do things differently? How can I improve patient outcomes?” recalled Samkari, who now works for Merck as executive director in oncology clinical development. “That’s what drove me to pursue my career in clinical research, where I could help patients on a larger scale.”
And after 25 years as a surgeon, when a hand ailment ultimately sidelined her in the operating room, Dr. Nazly Shariati found that research was another avenue to help more patients.
“Merck allowed me to not only fulfill my goals in life and my career but continue on my path to have an impact on patients’ lives.”
— Dr. Nazly Shariati
Senior principal scientist in oncology clinical development
From careers in clinical care to careers in research
Samkari’s background as an oncologist, and Shariati’s as a surgeon, have informed their work in our lung cancer clinical development program. All too familiar with the challenges of treating patients with advanced disease, Samkari and Shariati are shifting their research to investigating lung cancer at its earlier stages, before it has spread, when it’s more likely to be successfully treated.
When she was a cardiothoracic surgeon, Shariati often felt a sinking feeling whenever a patient’s lung cancer would return, which is common among people diagnosed with lung cancer that was removed surgically. But today she’s excited by scientific advances in resectable lung cancer focused on helping more patients.
Understanding the patient experience
Shariati said understanding the patient experience is what drives a researcher’s passion, innovation and desire to help others.
“It is very important to have that experience in managing and seeing patients because it gives you a completely different perspective on how you conduct your work.”
— Dr. Ayman Samkari
Executive director in oncology clinical development
Each day, Samkari and Shariati continue to push the boundaries in research to help make a difference for people living with cancer.
Supermodel Veronica Webb raises awareness of lung cancer screening
Pushing past her fear, Webb learned how important it is to get screened for lung cancer
May 17, 2023
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Supermodel, mother, fashion icon and blogger Veronica Webb knew that because of her former history of smoking, combined with her age, she could be at high risk for lung cancer. Yet, getting screened for cancerwas something that always scared her.
Webb also knew that Black Americans are less likely to get screened for lung cancer compared to White Americans.
“I wanted to be an example for others because I know the impact of lung cancer is not equal.
— Veronica Webb
Low-dose CT scans are painless and not invasive
Webb faced her fears and, no stranger to cameras, documented her first lung screening to show others what she learned: low-dose CT scans are painless and not invasive.
“My doctor wrote the prescription, I called my insurance and I got a pre-authorization. It’s totally painless and, one, two, three, it’s over,” Webb said. “Knowing I was cancer free gave me peace of mind. If the people in your life and the things you want to do in your life mean a lot to you, get screened.”
To learn more about lung cancer screening and if you might be eligible, visit www.FocusOnYourLungs.com.
Watch Webb’s story
Select factors that increase your risk for lung cancer are:*
A history of smoking
Exposure to certain materials in the environment, such as radon gas, asbestos and secondhand smoke
A family history of lung cancer
Exposure to other materials that cause cancer like arsenic, chromium and nickel
*The above list does not include all risk factors for lung cancer
Merck launched Focus on Your Lungs in partnership with the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer, the Lung Cancer Foundation of America and the Lung Cancer Research foundation to demystify lung cancer screening with educational information and real stories like Webb’s.
Health awareness
VIDEO: Patient with PAH shares her clinical trial experience
Diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension, Colleen Brunetti knows the importance of participating in clinical trials
May 15, 2023
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Colleen Brunetti is a wife and a mother of two who lives with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) — a rare disease that affects the pulmonary arteries. She’s passionate about helping others affected by PAH and focused on helping the medical community by participating in clinical trials.
Patient volunteers like Brunetti are central to the success of clinical trials. Diverse participation is essential as different people may have different reactions to the same treatment, based on their age, gender, weight, race, ethnicity, lifestyle or severity of illness or disease.
“I'm acutely aware that without clinical trials, we don't move forward.”
— Colleen Brunetti
Participating in a clinical trial requires a supportive team
In addition to her doctors, Brunetti’s family is a key part of her support team. She said it’s vital to be open and understanding of the impact clinical trial participation may have not only on yourself, but also those around you. She added that talking, asking questions and learning more about the benefits and risks of a clinical trial is critical.
“We work as a team together to decide if a clinical trial, or anything that I need, is in my best interest,” she said. “No matter what you go through, there’s going to be changes. Having heart-to-heart conversations about what that looks like and what might need to be adjusted is really important.”
What Brunetti considered when joining a clinical trial
Brunetti said she encourages anyone considering joining a clinical trial to understand that “your doctor has to be your teammate.” She said questions will come up, like:
Will I receive the medicine or the placebo?
What kind of side effects might I anticipate?
How am I going to manage this?
What happens if there’s an emergency?
“If it’s not for you, that’s OK,” she said. “But if you can, I would encourage people to jump in with eyes wide open.”
Why it’s so important to participate in clinical trials
Clinical trials are research studies with volunteers designed to learn more about how our bodies respond to medicines, vaccines, medical devices or other treatments. It may take many clinical trials to understand which treatments work and how they work.
Are you thinking about joining a clinical trial?
Learn more about clinical trials
Our medical advances can only happen through the efforts of many people, especially the patients who volunteer for clinical trials.
Individualized neoantigen therapies: exploring one medicine for one patient
Scientists are researching new ways to help train the immune system to fight cancer
April 13, 2023
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Over the past decade, immunotherapy has transformed our understanding of how the immune system can be used to help fight some types of cancer. However, for the last 50 years, scientists have been researching how we could potentially use vaccines to treat cancer — another investigational approach to harness the immune system to help recognize and destroy cancer cells — with little success.
Now we’re looking at a potential therapy that is building upon the learnings of immunotherapy trials from the past and incorporating that into an individualized cancer approach that’s specific to a patient’s own tumor. Researchers are currently exploring the potential of individualized neoantigen therapies to help fight cancer.
Cancer research is becoming more personalized
Cancer is a result of the body’s own cells undergoing mutations which create abnormal proteins in cancer cells, known as neoantigens, that are not usually seen in normal cells. These mutations are unique to each person’s tumor, so that’s one of the reasons why patients who have been diagnosed with the same type of cancer and who have received the same type of treatment may have different responses.
As the treatment of cancer continues to evolve and advance, researchers are focusing on more individualized approaches. This includes a new area of research into individualized neoantigen therapies that use information from a person’s tumor biopsy sample to help develop a therapy unique to their tumor’s mutations.
“This area of research has really captured our imagination of what’s possible in the development of cancer therapeutics.”
Dr. Jane Healy Vice president and head of oncology early development at Merck Research Laboratories
In collaboration with Moderna, we’re studying this area of research in an effort to advance more individualized approaches to help improve outcomes for people living with cancer.
Learn more about individualized neoantigen therapies
By Dr. Joerg Koglin, senior vice president and head of general medicine and global clinical development
April 5, 2023
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According to the American Heart Association, 127.9 million adults in the U.S. — nearly half of all U.S. adults — have some type of cardiovascular disease. And the implications can be very serious. In fact, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., claiming approximately 940,000 lives each year (based on 2022 estimates). There are many types of cardiovascular diseases, one of which is heart failure. Heart failure is when the heart cannot pump properly so that it doesn’t fully support the body’s need for oxygen and blood. And that is where my specialty and passion lie. As a cardiologist, I learned and study how cardiovascular diseases develop to try to find ways to help manage conditions that impact so many people around the world.
For years, I worked in one of the largest European academic centers focused on heart failure and cared for patients with this chronic, progressive condition. I saw how this disease affected my patients’ lives and what it meant to live with its symptoms: swollen feet, legs and ankles; shortness of breath; persistent coughing; and fatigue.
After many years as a physician treating individual patients in a heart failure clinic, I joined the Merck research team to try and impact patient care at a larger scale, but I still carry my patients’ stories with me. I remember the father trying to keep up with his kids, losing his breath just climbing the bleachers at a game. The husband who was waiting on the heart transplant list, but ran out of time. My patients’ struggles with heart failure and the impact it had on their families is what drives my desire to make a difference. They are a big part of why I’m at Merck today, working with a team of world-class scientists to try to advance heart failure research.
Our focus is on trying to help people with heart failure, which impacts more than six million Americans — a number that is expected to grow to over eight million by 2030. We’re working with a sense of urgency because the prognosis for people with heart failure is poor.
While heart failure is a challenging disease, I’m hopeful about the future of research. More than 60 years ago, my colleagues at Merck delivered their first advance in cardiovascular disease and, today, we’ll keep pushing heart failure research forward.
While science pushes forward, it’s important for all of us to take steps today to protect our hearts by living as healthy a lifestyle as possible. The advice I try to follow myself is all about creating healthy habits: eating healthy food, which means more fresh fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods; maintaining a healthy weight; getting regular exercise and not smoking. With the busy and hectic lifestyles many of us lead, it can be hard to fit it all in every day, but every little bit counts. I’ve found that in life as in science, small steps, coupled with persistence and dedication, can help make a difference.
The American Chemical Society Landmark program recognizes important contributions to modern life through chemical sciences
March 2, 2023
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Scientific achievements can significantly alter the course of history — for individuals, families and communities as well as for future scientific developments. We’re proud to have been recognized for our own contributions to science by the American Chemical Society (ACS), which has granted Merck four National Historic Chemical Landmarks (NHCL) designations since 1999.
This ACS program recognizes seminal achievements in the history of the chemical sciences and provides a record of the contributions to chemistry and society in the U.S. Our Rahway, New Jersey, site has been recognized three times. Our West Point, Pennsylvania, site has been recognized once for our important work there.
Learn more about these groundbreaking landmark achievements:
01.
Discovery and development of medicines for the treatment of HIV
In the early 1980s, as AIDS began to be perceived as a potential epidemic, scientists at Merck embarked on an urgent mission to understand the virus. They were among the first to discover and develop medicines for the treatment of HIV. Our company’s work in this space ultimately led to the development of a treatment that was important in helping to make HIV a survivable infection.
ACS honored the discovery of this life-saving treatment with the NHCL designation in 2022 at our site in West Point, Pennsylvania.
Development of a treatment against a debilitating infectious disease transmitted by parasites
Transmitted through the bite of black flies — which live and breed near fast-flowing streams and rivers — river blindness (onchocerciasis) is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness worldwide. In 1978, Dr. William Campbell of Merck Research Laboratories suggested the use of Mectizan (ivermectin) against river blindness in humans. In the early 1980s, Dr. Mohammed Aziz collaborated with WHO to successfully design and implement field studies in West Africa on the disease.
In 1987, Merck CEO Dr. Roy Vagelos announced our company’s commitment to donate Mectizan to treat river blindness — as much as needed, for as long as needed — and the Mectizan Donation Program was formed. Through the MDP, the work of Dr. Campbell and other Merck scientists continues to touch more than 300 million lives each year. In 2015, Dr. Campbell shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his role in developing ivermectin.
ACS honored the discovery of ivermectin with the NHCL designation in 2016 at our site in Rahway, New Jersey.
Addressing vitamin deficiencies through the synthesis and mass production of vitamin B
In the 1930s and 1940s, Merck scientists reported a series of advances in the study of the vitamin B complex, a group of nutrients that is essential to cell functioning. Availability of these vitamins resulted in dietary supplements and vitamin-enriched foods that encouraged healthy growth and development, as well as treatments for diseases caused by nutritional deficiencies.
These achievements were outstanding examples of the rapid advances occurring in the fields of biochemistry and organic chemistry during this era and led to notable improvements in human and animal health and nutrition.
ACS honored our research on the vitamin B complex with the NHCL designation in 2016 at our site in Rahway, New Jersey.
04.
Producing large-scale quantities of penicillin, a much-needed antibiotic during WWII
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, but it was very difficult to produce in large quantities. With the outbreak of World War II, the need for life-saving penicillin skyrocketed, and the mass production problem had to be solved quickly. At the request of the U.S. government, Merck and other pharmaceutical companies expanded research in the hopes of producing adequate supplies of this vital antibiotic. In cooperation with competitors, our research team helped develop a submerged fermentation process that sped production of penicillin for both the war effort and civilian use.
ACS honored the discovery of this life-saving treatment with the NHCL designation in 1999 at our site in Rahway, New Jersey.
Our history
For over 130 years, we’ve been guided by the view that great medicines and vaccines change the world.
“We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits.”
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This website of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline candidates that the candidates will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be commercially successful. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov). No Duty to Update
The information contained in this website was current as of the date presented. The company assumes no duty to update the information to reflect subsequent developments. Consequently, the company will not update the information contained in the website and investors should not rely upon the information as current or accurate after the presentation date.
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