Merck reported an unexpected revenue increase in the second quarter due to the success of its cancer drug Keytruda and new hepatitis treatments.
The Kenilworth, N.J.-based drugmaker posted sales of $314 million for Keytruda in the second quarter.
Merck’s new hepatitis C drug Zepatier reported sales of $112 million for the second quarter. The drug was approved by the Food and Drug administration last January.
Merck recorded a second quarter profit of $1.21 billion, or 43 cents a share, compared to $687 million, or 24 cents a share, in the same quarter the year prior.
Sales grew 0.6 percent to $9.84 billion this quarter, compared to $9.78 billion in the second quarter of 2015.
Merck now expects per-share adjusted earnings between $3.67 and $3.77 for the year with revenue between $39.1 billion and $40.1 billion. Thomson Reuters analysts had expected adjusted earnings of $3.72 a share and a revenue of $39.5 billion.
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