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Apr 25 2025
1Merck's measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine, Proquad, saw a rare spotlight in the company’s first-quarter earnings report as the United States experienced multiple measles outbreaks. The pharmaceutical giant announced Thursday that Proquad sales fell by 5% year-over-year to $539 million for the quarter, a decline linked to the U.S. government utilizing doses from its six-month pediatric vaccine stockpile.
This development comes amid a broader decline in Merck’s global revenue, which dropped 2% to $15.5 billion compared to the same period in 2024. One of the major contributors to the dip was a sharp fall in sales of Gardasil and Gardasil 9, Merck’s human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. Revenues from these products plummeted by 41% to $1.3 billion, largely due to persistent supply issues in China. Despite this, increased demand in regions like Japan and higher prices in the U.S. helped mitigate some of the losses.
Merck's pharmaceutical segment reported a 3% decrease in sales, totaling $13.64 billion for the quarter. The company attributed the drop to underperformance in its vaccines, virology, and immunology divisions. However, continued growth in its flagship cancer therapy Keytruda, which posted a 4% global increase to $7.21 billion, helped offset some of the decline. Even so, Keytruda sales came in 3% below analyst projections, according to BMO Capital Markets.
Proquad, approved nearly two decades ago, typically plays a minor role in Merck's earnings reports. However, recent measles activity in the U.S. has brought renewed attention to the vaccine. Merck confirmed that the decline in Proquad sales was due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) drawing from the national pediatric vaccine stockpile.
Meanwhile, sales of Merck’s M-M-R II vaccine—targeting measles, mumps, and rubella—rose during the same period. The company attributed this growth to increased private-sector purchases in response to the outbreaks and price adjustments.
The measles resurgence has been attributed mainly to low vaccination rates. As of April 17, the CDC reported 800 confirmed cases across dozens of states and three deaths. Ten separate outbreaks have been recorded so far in 2025, compared to 16 for the entirety of 2024. The CDC noted that 96% of cases involved unvaccinated individuals.
Amid the public health crisis, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has continued to express anti-vaccine views, though he acknowledged in early April that vaccines remain the most effective tool for preventing measles.
Source:https://www.biospace.com/business/sales-of-mercks-4-way-measles-vaccine-take-hit-as-us-dips-into-stockpile
This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.
