Strategic Insight At the 2026 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, CEO Robert Davis outlined MSD’s roadmap to safeguard its financial future ahead of Keytruda’s loss of market exclusivity in 2028. The company aims to achieve $70 billion in commercial opportunities by the mid-2030s through the launch of 20 new products.
Key Strategic Highlights:
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Revenue Vision: MSD expects its next wave of growth drivers to generate $70 billion in sales, effectively doubling Keytruda’s projected 2028 consensus. This strategy relies on a 50-50 split between internal R&D and external business development.
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10 Pillar Programs: Approximately 70% of the $70 billion target is expected to stem from 10 key programs, nearly all of which feature first-in-class molecules with blockbuster potential. Featured therapies include:
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Winrevair: For pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
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Ohtuvayre: An inhaled treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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Enflonsia: An antibody for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants.
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HIV Innovation: The company is positioning islatravir as a potential “anchor medicine” for HIV, showing promise in both pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment when combined with agents like lenacapavir.
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Clinical Strength: MSD is currently running 80 Phase III trials. Among these, the oncology candidate sac-TMT(licensed from Blackstone Life Sciences) recently posted positive results when combined with Keytruda for non-small cell lung cancer.
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Derisking Timeline: The company plans to clinically derisk $35 billion of its revenue target by the end of 2026 through positive trial readouts, with the full $70 billion portfolio expected to be validated by the end of 2027.
Source: https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/jpm26-msd-merck-derisking-sales-strategy/?cf-view