Movement Alert｜Merck Rises 3.44% in Regular Trading, HIV Drug Granted Priority Review in China Amid Pharma Sector Rebound

Market Focus06-04

On June 4, Merck rose 3.44% in regular trading, trading at $119.5/share, with trading volume of $207 million. The gain was driven by multiple positive catalysts including a priority review designation for its HIV drug in China and a broader pharmaceutical sector rally.

On the news front, China's Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) proposed to grant priority review status to Merck's doravirine/islatravir tablet, a complete two-drug regimen for adult HIV-1 infection. The drug targets virologically suppressed patients seeking to switch from their current antiretroviral therapy. It was previously approved in Japan in March and in the United States in April. Phase III trial data (MK-8591A-051) showed that at Week 48, only 1% of patients switching to DOR/ISL had viral load ≥50 copies/mL versus 5% on baseline therapy, with 96% maintaining virologic suppression. A second trial (MK-8591A-052) confirmed non-inferiority against the BIC/FTC/TAF regimen.

Additionally, Merck recently signed multiple oncology collaboration agreements with Chinese biotech firms, further expanding its pipeline. The broader Pharmacy sector showed strength, with Novo-Nordisk up 4.8%, Eli Lilly up 4.02%, and Bristol-Myers Squibb up 3.29%.

(The above content is based on publicly available market information, generated by a program or algorithm, and is intended solely as a stock movement alert. It does not constitute investment advice or a basis for trading decisions.)

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