Merck, Daiichi Sankyo pull marketing application for lung cancer therapy
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 29 2025
0mins
Source: SeekingAlpha
Withdrawal of Marketing Application: Merck and Daiichi Sankyo have voluntarily withdrawn their U.S. marketing application for the lung cancer therapy patritumab deruxtecan after discussions with the FDA, following a Phase 3 trial that did not show statistical significance for overall survival.
Previous FDA Rejection: The drug had previously been rejected by the FDA in 2024 due to concerns over a third-party manufacturing facility, but the companies clarified that the current withdrawal was not related to this prior rejection or manufacturing issues.
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Analyst Views on MRK
Wall Street analysts forecast MRK stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for MRK is 119.53 USD with a low forecast of 95.00 USD and a high forecast of 139.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
16 Analyst Rating
11 Buy
5 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 106.900
Low
95.00
Averages
119.53
High
139.00
Current: 106.900
Low
95.00
Averages
119.53
High
139.00
About MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. is a global health care company that delivers health solutions through its prescription medicines, including biologic therapies, vaccines and animal health products. Its Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products. The Company sells its human health pharmaceutical products primarily to drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, government agencies and managed health care providers. It sells these human health vaccines primarily to physicians, wholesalers, distributors and government entities. Its Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a range of veterinary pharmaceutical and vaccine products, as well as health management solutions and services, for the prevention, treatment and control of disease in all livestock and companion animal species. Its products include KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) injection, for intravenous use; WELIREG (belzutifan) tablets, for oral use; Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine) and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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