Since Last Week, Merck's Stock's Been Rising On NYSE -- Due To Longer Keytruda Exclusivity Arc (Via Patenting Strategies) -- And All Other R&D Hitting Targets...

I've said so for quite a while, right here: Rahway has a plethora of paths to keep subcutaneous [or other versions] of pembrolizumab as the exclusive and preferred line of therapy. . . well into the mid-2030s. [There are quite a few Wall Streeters who are not fully-versed in patent extension tactics in the US.]

But it is really the continuing strength of all the rest of Merck's formidable medicine cabinet. . . that is driving this multiple expansion, now underway on the NYSE. That, and high quality pharma being a safe-haven investment (with a fat quarterly cash dividend!), when Tangerine 2.0 lunacy makes oil a dangerous investment -- and crypto / AI / chip tech face very choppy seas as well.

Here's a bit on some of Merck's other wins -- in R&D (this one for people living with HIV positivity):

. . .Our goal is to bring forward oral options, including daily and once-weekly HIV treatment regimens, as well as a once-monthly HIV prevention pill. Because no single medicine works for every person, we are committed to expanding choices that may help address the diverse needs and preferences of people living with HIV or those who could benefit from PrEP.”

At HIV Glasgow, Merck will present Phase 3 subgroup analyses of once-daily IDVYNSO, including Week 48 resistance and weight analyses from Trial 53 comparing IDVYNSO to bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF) in adults with HIV-1 who had not previously received antiretroviral treatment, as well as Week 96 patient-reported outcomes for IDVYNSO in adults with virologically suppressed HIV-1. Separately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted two supplemental New Drug Applications for IDVYNSO (doravirine and islatravir): one based on the Phase 3 Trial 053 in adults who had not previously received antiretroviral treatment and one based on the Phase 3 Trials 051 and 052 to include 96-week data in virologically suppressed adults. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) or target action date of April 22, 2027, for both applications. . . .

Now you know. Onward, grinning -- heading back into the High Rockies on Thursday mid-morning now. Smiling -- a sorta' sad smile, just the same.

नमस्ते