Drugmaker Merck tops 3Q forecasts as Keytruda sales jump 20%

Merck turned in a better-than-expected third quarter and raised its 2022 forecast as the drugmaker’s top seller brought in over a third of its revenue.

Sales of the cancer fighter Keytruda grew 20% to more than $5.4 billion in the quarter and would have jumped 26% without the impact of foreign exchange rates, Merck said Thursday.

The drugmaker also saw sales for its Gardasil vaccine grow 15% to $2.3 billion. That vaccine protects against cancer-causing human papilloma virus infections.

Overall, Merck’s total revenue grew 14% to $14.96 billion in the quarter, and adjusted earnings totaled $1.85 per share.