News update via NF Bot

Merck's drug for tumours associated with rare disease neurofibromatosis type 1, Ezmekly, has been cleared for NHS use in children as young as two.

Key takeaways Merck KGaA is naar verluidt in vergevorderde besprekingen om Springworks Therapeutics over te nemen, een Amerikaans biotechnologiebedrijf dat gespecialiseerd is in kankerbehandelingen. Volgens bronnen die bekend zijn met de zaak zou de…

Boosted by a 45% increase in sales in 2025, Eli Lilly has jumped six notches in the annual top-20 revenue ranking, becoming the third-largest company in the biopharma industry. | 2025 was a solid year...

Merck KGaA is poised to increase the size of its life sciences business with an $11.3 billion deal to acquire rival Bio-techne.

Merck KGaA has started working with Remepy on the development of hybrid drugs that combine medicines with digital therapeutics.

Merck has teamed up with Valo Health on a project to apply AI to the discovery of novel drug targets and drugs for Parkinson's.

Industry veteran David Weinreich will step into the top R&D role at Merck KGaA, following Danny Bar-Zohar's move to lead the division.

Merck KGaA has reached an agreement with SpringWorks on a $47-per-share takeover deal that values the US biotech at $3.9 billion.

Investing.com -- Barclays downgraded Merck KGaA (ETR:MRCG) to “equal weight” from “overweight” following weaker second-quarter results and a cut to its full-year 2025 guidance, in a note dated Tuesday. The downgrade came with a reduced price target of €120, down 20% from €150, after Barclays applied a higher conglomerate discount of 20% compared with 15% previously. The brokerage cited several factors behind the move. Merck lowered its 2025 sales guidance after pushing out its semiconductor recovery timeline, while also divesting its Surface Solutions unit. In addition, foreign exchange headwinds weighed on results, though this was partly offset by improved margin expectations in Life Sciences and Healthcare. Barclays cut its sales outlook for 2025-2027 by about 2% each year, and trimmed EBITDA pre-forecast by 2-3% to reflect the new portfolio mix and guidance. Barclays highlighted a series of near-term risks that could drag on sentiment, including the potential early entry of U.S. generics for Mavenclad in 2025, competitive pressure on Ogsiveo from Immunome’s Varegacestat, delayed demand recovery in semiconductors, uncertainty in Life Sciences growth, and pending strategic reviews of the Healthcare and Life Sciences divisions. The bank also pointed to possible management changes, with CEO Belén Garijo’s contract ending in 2026 and speculation over succession. Merck’s 2025 sales are now forecast at €21.1 billion, in line with company guidance but flat compared with 2024, while EBITDA pre is projected at €6.0 billion, a 2% drop versus Barclays’ earlier estimates. Earnings per share for 2025 were also revised down to €8.25 from €8.56. Barclays said the downgrade reflects limited catalysts before Merck’s capital markets day on Oct. 16 and a lack of clarity on growth prospects across divisions. While the company continues to trade at what the bank called a “cheap valuation,” the added uncertainty warranted a neutral stance. With valuations skyrocketing in 2024, many investors are uneasy putting more money into stocks. Sure, there are always opportunities in the stock market – but finding them feels more difficult now than a year ago. Unsure where to invest next? One of the best ways to discover new high-potential opportunities is to look at the top performing portfolios this year. ProPicks AI offers 6 model portfolios from Investing.com which identify the best stocks for investors to buy right now. For example, ProPicks AI found 9 overlooked stocks that jumped over 25% this year alone. The new stocks that made the monthly cut could yield enormous returns in the coming years. Is MRCG one of them?

Investing.com -- Shares of SpringWorks Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:SWTX) surged higher Thursday afternoon on reports that a potential takeover of the company by Germany’s Merck KGaA (ETR:MRCG) is getting close. This afternoon, The Wall Street Journal reported that the two companies are near a $47 per share takeover deal and a definitive agreement could be announced as soon as Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of SpringWorks last traded up 8% to $44.50. The potential deal has been in the works since at least February, when Merck KGaA confirmed it was in advanced talks to acquire the cancer and rare diseases drugmaker. Earlier in the week, an analyst at Barclays highlighted that a just-concluded CHMP meeting on SpringWorks’ Ogsiveo could help de-risk the potential deal. EU approval of Ogsiveo is seen as a key catalyst for a takeover. Ogsiveo is the first FDA-approved therapy for patients with desmoid tumors who require systemic treatment. The drug was approved by the FDA in November 2023.

Principaux renseignements Merck KGaA serait en discussions avancées pour acquérir Springworks Therapeutics, une société de biotechnologie basée aux États-Unis et spécialisée dans les traitements contre le cancer. L’opération pourrait être finalisée dans…

Merck KGaA agreed to buy Bio-Techne for $73 per share in cash, valuing the deal at about $11.3 billion.