Merck & Co. Unleashes a Bold Oncology Offensive—Will KEYTRUDA’s Expansion Rewrite Cancer Care? 

Merck & Co., Inc. reported its first-quarter 2025 financial results with a mix of strengths and challenges. Overall, the company maintained solidity in several aspects of its business, driven by strong performances in oncology, animal health, and emerging products, but faced external pressures and certain regional challenges. Revenue for Merck in Q1 2025 was reported at $15.5 billion, meeting the company’s expectations and showing robust contributions from newer drugs like WINREVAIR and CAPVAXIVE. However, there was a marginal decrease of 2% in total company revenues, though figures show a 1% increase when excluding the impact of foreign exchange. Notably, sales of GARDASIL in China experienced a significant decline due to elevated channel inventories and a softened demand, impacting global growth figures excluding foreign exchange by about 7 percentage points.