Merck & Co. expects to launch an easier-to-administer version of its blockbuster cancer treatment Keytruda before the end of the year, accelerating the company's efforts to protect its top-selling medicine from pricing pressure.
The latest version of Keytruda could eventually capture between 30% and 40% of the market for the original, Merck CEO Rob Davis said at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco on Monday. Keytruda, which brings in nearly $30 billion a year in revenue, is slated to lose its patent protection in 2028 and is expected to be subject to Medicare negotiation before the end of the decade.