Merck Cancer Vaccine Trial Results Boost Stock

Merck & Co Inc's stock (MRK) surged by 3.41% on August 21, driven by positive Phase 3 results from a clinical trial of its individualized mRNA-based cancer vaccine in combination with Keytruda.

The INTerpath-001 trial demonstrated significant improvements in recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival over Keytruda monotherapy, mitigating concerns about the therapy's impending loss of exclusivity in the late 2020s.

Wall Street analysts upgraded their ratings and price targets for MRK, with Morgan Stanley moving to Overweight and raising its target to $142.60.