Q2 Beauty: Merck Beats By $0.15; Very Impressive Keytruda® Ramp — $21 Billion, By Itself, Annualized?

As the luminous but clear dawn appeared here, a few hours ago -- Kenilworth dropped a very impressive beat on the market — with truly eye popping pembrolizumab sales ramping, quarter by quarter.

About six years ago, when BMS's Opdivo^® was first to market [by over six months], I had extolled its lead over Merck's Keytruda^®. The intervening years have seen Merck steadily, slowly, surely. . . pull ahead -- and now, kick on the afterburners -- as it pulls away from all the competition in immuno-oncology. And I couldn't be happier. Well done, Mr. Frazier -- well done.

Here's a bit from Investors' Business Daily and the full link:

. . . .On average, analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research called for Merck earnings of $1.16 a share on $10.91 billion in sales.

For the year, the Dow Jones pharma giant guided to EPS of $4.84-$4.94 with sales of $45.2 billion to $46.2 billion. Analysts expected Merck to earn $4.74 per share and to report $44.63 billion in sales. . . .

In addition, find myself grinning, and grinning widely -- in no small part because the incarcerated felon Martin Shkreli, back when Merck was at about $74, called the stock as a short. This morning it is over $86, in the early pre-market trading. How very droll -- Mr. Frazier single-handedly wrecked Marty's whole jail-house [mythical] short "portfolio". Amazing that surrogates will still post for him, on the internet, right?

In any event, onward, on a perfect mid-summer morning! Be excellent to one another. . . . we will find fresh tacos, and cherries today -- on foot.

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