Pharma Patent Cliffby readouts.io
Company · patent cliff and acquisitions

Merck’s patent cliff

The 3 drugs tracked here made $38.4B of Merck’s 2025 revenue (59%) and lose US exclusivity by 2028. Since 2023, Merck has closed 5 acquisitions of $1B or more, worth $38.0B in total.

Losing US exclusivity by 2030
$38.4B59% of 2025 revenue
By 2037
$38.4B59% of $65.0B
Acquisitions since 2023
$38.0B5 deals of $1B or more
Bought with an approved product
1 of 5Verona Pharma

2025 revenue losing US exclusivity, by year

2027–2030
0%25%50%75%100%
2027
2.2%$1.4B · Lynparza
2028
57%$36.9B · Keytruda, Gardasil

Bars are each drug's 2025 sales as a share of Merck’s total revenue ($65.0B). Only drugs tracked here are counted, so full exposure can be higher. Tap a bar for the drug's page.

Acquisitions since 2023

ClosedCompany boughtValueAreaWhat it broughtAt closing
Jun 2023 Prometheus BiosciencesMerck, June 2023 $10.8B Immunology Tulisokibart (MK-7240), an antibody for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease Pipeline only
Jul 2024 EyeBioMerck, May 2024 · Merck, July 2024 $1.3B Other Restoret (MK-3000), an antibody for diabetic macular edema and wet AMDUpfront payment; up to $1.7B more in milestones. Pipeline only
Oct 2025 Verona PharmaMerck, October 2025 $10.0B Other Ohtuvayre, an inhaled COPD maintenance treatment approved in 2024 Approved product
Jan 2026 Cidara TherapeuticsMerck, January 2026 $9.2B Infectious disease CD388, a long-acting antiviral to prevent flu in people at higher risk Pipeline only
May 2026 Terns PharmaceuticalsMerck, May 2026 $6.7B Oncology TERN-701, an oral drug for chronic myeloid leukemia Pipeline only
5 deals$38.0B

Acquisitions of whole companies worth $1B or more, announced since January 2023. Values are the headline price Merck announced, excluding milestone payments unless noted. Licensing deals are not included.

Losing vs buying, by area

AreaAt risk by 2037Acquisitions since 2023
Oncology$33.1B$6.7B
Other–$11.3B
Immunology–$10.8B
Infectious disease–$9.2B
Vaccines$5.2B–

Merck has the most revenue at risk in oncology, but has spent the most on acquisitions outside the main areas (EyeBio and Verona Pharma). At risk is 2025 sales of tracked drugs losing US exclusivity by 2037; acquisitions are the headline value of deals closed since 2023.

How to read this

The two figures measure different things. Revenue at risk is what the drugs earned in 2025. A deal's value is what Merck paid, not the sales it will bring in. Only one of the 5 companies it bought was already selling an approved product at closing (Verona Pharma); the rest brought pipeline drugs whose sales are years away and may never arrive. So this page shows the two side by side rather than claiming how much of the gap the deals fill.

What changed for Merck

  1. Acquisition
    Merck completes its $6.7B Terns acquisition

    Terns brings TERN-701, an oral drug in development for chronic myeloid leukemia. Merck

  2. Acquisition
    Merck completes its $9.2B Cidara acquisition

    Cidara brings CD388, a long-acting antiviral in development to prevent flu. Merck

Other companies

Sources

Revenue: Merck FY2025. Drug sales and dates are sourced on each drug's page; each deal links to Merck’s announcement or filing in the table above.

See all 45 drugs on the patent cliff →