Merck Hits New Highs as mRNA Vaccine Combo Shows Promise

Merck & Co shares have reached new highs at $155.10, extending their year-to-date gain to 45%.

The rally follows positive news from a landmark Phase 3 melanoma trial, where Keytruda combined with the mRNA cancer vaccine intismeran autogene showed improved recurrence-free survival and distant-metastasis-free survival compared to Keytruda alone.

The market sees this as a significant development, valuing the potential of the personalized vaccine combination to improve outcomes on top of Keytruda.

With over $70 billion in commercial opportunity across more than 20 new products, Merck's pipeline is seen as a key driver of growth beyond the Keytruda patent transition.