Merck & Co.
American multinational pharmaceutical company specializing in prescription medications, vaccines, and oncology treatments across multiple therapeutic areas.
Company Type
public
Founded
1668
Headquarters
Rahway, New Jersey, USA
Stock
NYSE: MRK
About Merck & Co.
What does Merck & Co. own?
Merck & Co. owns a portfolio of pharmaceutical products, vaccines, and animal health medicines. Its most significant asset is Keytruda, the world's best-selling prescription medicine approved for more than 40 cancer indications. Other major products include Gardasil (HPV vaccine), Winrevair (pulmonary arterial hypertension), Januvia (diabetes), and Bridion (anesthesia reversal). The Animal Health segment markets veterinary medicines under the Merck Animal Health brand.
Merck & Co. owns a portfolio of pharmaceutical products, vaccines, and animal health medicines. Its most significant asset is Keytruda, the world's best-selling prescription medicine approved for more than 40 cancer indications. Other major products include Gardasil (HPV vaccine), Winrevair (pulmonary arterial hypertension), Januvia (diabetes), and Bridion (anesthesia reversal). The Animal Health segment markets veterinary medicines under the Merck Animal Health brand.
Is Merck & Co. publicly traded?
Yes, Merck & Co., Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol MRK. The company has no controlling shareholder, with ownership distributed among institutional investors including Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street.
Yes, Merck & Co., Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol MRK. The company has no controlling shareholder, with ownership distributed among institutional investors including Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street.
What is Merck's annual revenue?
In FY2024, Merck reported worldwide sales of $64.2 billion, a 7% increase from FY2023. The Pharmaceutical segment generated approximately $57.4 billion and the Animal Health segment approximately $5.8 billion. Keytruda alone accounted for approximately $29.5 billion in FY2024 sales.
In FY2024, Merck reported worldwide sales of $64.2 billion, a 7% increase from FY2023. The Pharmaceutical segment generated approximately $57.4 billion and the Animal Health segment approximately $5.8 billion. Keytruda alone accounted for approximately $29.5 billion in FY2024 sales.
Who is Merck's CEO?
Robert M. Davis has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co. since 2021, succeeding Kenneth Frazier. Davis has led the company's strategy of building a post-Keytruda pipeline through acquisitions and internal research investment.
Robert M. Davis has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co. since 2021, succeeding Kenneth Frazier. Davis has led the company's strategy of building a post-Keytruda pipeline through acquisitions and internal research investment.
Is Merck & Co. the same as Merck KGaA?
No. Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) and Merck KGaA (a German company) are entirely separate companies with no ownership relationship. The separation dates to 1917, when the U.S. government seized German-owned assets in America during World War I. Merck & Co. uses the MSD name outside the United States and Canada to avoid confusion with the German Merck entity.
No. Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) and Merck KGaA (a German company) are entirely separate companies with no ownership relationship. The separation dates to 1917, when the U.S. government seized German-owned assets in America during World War I. Merck & Co. uses the MSD name outside the United States and Canada to avoid confusion with the German Merck entity.
What is Keytruda and why is it important to Merck?
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor that works by blocking a protein that prevents the immune system from attacking cancer cells. First approved in 2014 for melanoma, it has since been approved for more than 40 cancer indications. In FY2024, Keytruda generated approximately $29.5 billion in global sales, making it the world's best-selling prescription medicine and accounting for roughly 46% of Merck's total worldwide sales.
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor that works by blocking a protein that prevents the immune system from attacking cancer cells. First approved in 2014 for melanoma, it has since been approved for more than 40 cancer indications. In FY2024, Keytruda generated approximately $29.5 billion in global sales, making it the world's best-selling prescription medicine and accounting for roughly 46% of Merck's total worldwide sales.
History of Merck & Co.
The Merck name traces to 1668, when Friedrich Jacob Merck purchased an apothecary in Darmstadt, Germany. The business grew over subsequent generations into a pharmaceutical manufacturer. In 1891, George Merck, a descendant of the founding family, established a U.S. subsidiary in New York to import and distribute Merck products in the American market.
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, the U.S. government seized German-owned assets in America, including the Merck U.S. subsidiary. The American business was sold to George W. Merck, the founder's grandson, who incorporated it as an independent American company. The German parent, Merck KGaA, and the American Merck & Co. have operated as entirely separate companies since that separation.
Merck & Co. grew substantially through the mid-20th century, developing streptomycin (the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis) in collaboration with Rutgers University in the 1940s, and later producing cortisone, vitamin B12, and other landmark medicines. The company became one of the most respected pharmaceutical manufacturers in the United States, known for its research-driven culture.
In 1953, Merck merged with Sharp & Dohme, a Philadelphia-based pharmaceutical company, creating a significantly larger entity and the basis for the MSD name used internationally. The combined company expanded its global operations and research capabilities throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
Merck's vaccine development capabilities became a major competitive strength in the latter half of the 20th century. The company developed the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, the hepatitis B vaccine, and the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, among others. Maurice Hilleman, a Merck virologist, is credited with developing more than 40 vaccines during his career at the company, more than any other scientist in history.
In 1999, Merck launched Vioxx (rofecoxib), a pain reliever that became one of the best-selling drugs in the world. In 2004, Merck voluntarily withdrew Vioxx from the market after a clinical trial showed it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke in long-term users. The withdrawal triggered thousands of lawsuits and resulted in Merck paying approximately $4.85 billion in settlements in 2007. The Vioxx episode significantly damaged Merck's reputation and financial position and prompted a major reassessment of the company's research and commercialization practices.
Merck acquired Schering-Plough in 2009 for approximately $41 billion, significantly expanding its pharmaceutical portfolio and international presence. The acquisition brought brands including Nasonex, Remicade (shared with Johnson & Johnson), and Singulair into Merck's portfolio.
Keytruda, approved by the FDA in 2014 initially for melanoma, transformed Merck's financial trajectory. The drug's mechanism of blocking the PD-1 pathway to allow the immune system to attack cancer cells proved effective across a wide range of tumor types, and its approved indications expanded rapidly. By 2023, Keytruda had surpassed Humira (AbbVie) to become the world's best-selling prescription medicine, a position it maintained in 2024.
In 2021, Merck acquired Acceleron Pharma for approximately $11.5 billion, gaining Sotatercept, which was subsequently approved as Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension in 2024. Winrevair generated $149 million in its first quarter of commercial availability in Q3 2024 and is expected to become a significant revenue contributor.
Robert M. Davis became Chairman and CEO in 2021, succeeding Kenneth Frazier. Davis has led the company's strategy of building a post-Keytruda pipeline through acquisitions and internal research, with the 2028 Keytruda patent expiration representing the primary strategic challenge for the company.
Brands Owned by Merck & Co.
View all 11 brandsMerck & Co. owns 11 brands in our database. Showing featured brands below.
Bridion
Owned by Merck & Co.
Prescription medication for reversing neuromuscular blockade during anesthesia, manufactured and marketed by Merck & Co.
anesthesianeuromuscular-blockadereversal
Cozaar
Owned by Merck & Co.
Prescription blood pressure medication for treating hypertension and kidney disease, manufactured and marketed by Merck & Co.
cardiovascularblood-pressurehypertension
Emend
Owned by Merck & Co.
Prescription antiemetic medication for preventing nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, manufactured and marketed by Merck & Co.
antiemeticnauseavomiting
Gardasil
Owned by Merck & Co.
Prescription human papillomavirus vaccine for preventing cervical cancer and other HPV-related cancers, manufactured and marketed by Merck & Co.
vaccinehpvcancer-prevention
Isentress
Owned by Merck & Co.
Prescription antiretroviral medication for treating HIV infection by inhibiting integrase enzyme, manufactured and marketed by Merck & Co.
infectious-diseasehivantiretroviral
Januvia
Owned by Merck & Co.
Prescription diabetes medication for treating type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin secretion, manufactured and marketed by Merck & Co.
diabetestype-2-diabetesdpp-4-inhibitor
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Stock Information
Merck & Co. Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Keytruda is the world's best-selling prescription medicine with continued expansion into new cancer indications and earlier treatment settings
- +Diversified pharmaceutical portfolio across oncology, vaccines, and animal health reduces single-product concentration risk
- +Strong pipeline of late-stage drug candidates including Winrevair and others intended to offset Keytruda patent expiration
- +Global commercial infrastructure in more than 140 countries provides broad market access
- +Animal health segment provides stable, profitable revenue diversification
Considerations
- -Keytruda patent expiration in 2028 represents a major revenue cliff that the pipeline must partially offset
- -Gardasil sales in China face significant near-term headwinds from inventory destocking
- -High R&D spending and acquisition costs required to build post-Keytruda pipeline compress near-term profitability
- -Drug pricing scrutiny from U.S. legislators and the Inflation Reduction Act's Medicare drug price negotiation provisions create revenue pressure
- -Vioxx litigation legacy and ongoing regulatory scrutiny of pharmaceutical marketing practices
Frequently Asked Questions About Merck & Co.
What does Merck & Co. own?
Merck & Co. owns a portfolio of pharmaceutical products, vaccines, and animal health medicines. Its most significant asset is Keytruda, the world's best-selling prescription medicine approved for more than 40 cancer indications. Other major products include Gardasil (HPV vaccine), Winrevair (pulmonary arterial hypertension), Januvia (diabetes), and Bridion (anesthesia reversal). The Animal Health segment markets veterinary medicines under the Merck Animal Health brand.
Is Merck & Co. publicly traded?
Yes, Merck & Co., Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol MRK. The company has no controlling shareholder, with ownership distributed among institutional investors including Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street.
What is Merck's annual revenue?
In FY2024, Merck reported worldwide sales of $64.2 billion, a 7% increase from FY2023. The Pharmaceutical segment generated approximately $57.4 billion and the Animal Health segment approximately $5.8 billion. Keytruda alone accounted for approximately $29.5 billion in FY2024 sales.
Who is Merck's CEO?
Robert M. Davis has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co. since 2021, succeeding Kenneth Frazier. Davis has led the company's strategy of building a post-Keytruda pipeline through acquisitions and internal research investment.
Is Merck & Co. the same as Merck KGaA?
No. Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) and Merck KGaA (a German company) are entirely separate companies with no ownership relationship. The separation dates to 1917, when the U.S. government seized German-owned assets in America during World War I. Merck & Co. uses the MSD name outside the United States and Canada to avoid confusion with the German Merck entity.
What is Keytruda and why is it important to Merck?
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor that works by blocking a protein that prevents the immune system from attacking cancer cells. First approved in 2014 for melanoma, it has since been approved for more than 40 cancer indications. In FY2024, Keytruda generated approximately $29.5 billion in global sales, making it the world's best-selling prescription medicine and accounting for roughly 46% of Merck's total worldwide sales.
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