Keytruda on path to become world’s no. 1 selling drug: research firm

Merck’s (NYSE:MRK) Keytruda cancer drug will be the world’s best selling drug by 2025, with projected annual sales of $22.5B, according to a new report from the GlobalData research firm.

Keytruda already has received 22 approvals for oncology indications by the Food and Drug Administration, and the drug is involved in more than 1,000 clinical trials; if only 10% of those trials hit, approvals for Keytruda will climb exponentially.

While AbbVie’s (NYSE:ABBV) Humira will lose its current top spot for global revenue, it will remain in the top 10 of best-sellers, with GlobalData ranking the drug in 6th place by 2025.

Following Keytruda, Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) and Pfizer’s (NYSE:PFE) Eliquis is forecast as the second best selling drug, with annual sales of $18.7B by 2025.

Celgene’s (NASDAQ:CELG) – and soon to be BMY’s because of their merger – Revlimid is predicted to take third place, although its worldwide sales will be affected by generic versions, which are set to hit the U.S. market in 2022.

GlobalData sees BMY’s Opdivo, a rival checkpoint inhibitor to Keytruda, coming in fourth place for global revenue, with AbbVie and Janssen’s (NYSE:JNJ) Imbruvica in fifth position.

Rounding out the top 10: Gilead’s (NASDAQ:GILD) HIV drug Biktarvy, Pfizer’s Ibrance, J&J and Mistubishi Tanabe’s Stelara, and Eli Lilly’s (NYSE:LLY) Trulicity.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3504108-keytruda-path-become-worlds-1-selling-drug-research-firm-says