Merck & Co has posted significant higher net profit during the third quarter ended September 2015 to US$ 1,826 million as against $842 million in the corresponding period of last year despite lower sales. Its sales declined by 4.6 per cent to $10,073 million from $10,557 million due to impact of foreign exchange, acquisitions of Cubist Pharmaceuticals and divestitures of the consumer care business. EPS improved to $0.64 from $0.31 in the last period.

Its pharmaceutical sales declined to $8,925 million from $1,439 million in the same quarter of last year. The sales of Januvia/Janumet improved by 9.5 per cent to $1,576 million from $1,439 million. However, the sales of Zetia/Vytorin declined by 9 per cent to $936 million from $1,028 million and that of Remicade declined by 27 per cent to $442 million from $604 million. Sales of animal health declined by 7 per cent to $825 million. Its R&D expenditure declined by 9.6 per cent to $1,500 million from $1,659 million.

Kenneth C Frazier, chairman and CEO, said, “Our solid results this quarter demonstrate that our focused strategy, which aims to drive future growth, as well as value for patients, society and shareholders, is working. The evolving market, economic and political dynamics of global health care increasingly underscore that the ability to provide high-value innovation is what will distinguish successful companies going forward.”

Our lat-stage pipeline and ongoing launches create both near-and-longer-term opportunities to generate value through innovation aimed at addressing some of the world's biggest medical needs – cancer, antibiotic resistance, cardiometabolic disease, hepatitis C and Alzheimer's disease.

During the third quarter of 2015, the company continued to focus on advancing its pipeline and key therapeutic areas of diabetes, hospital acute care, oncology and vaccines and executing on key launches, including Keytruda, an anti-PD-1 therapy, for the treatment of advanced melanoma and metastatic NSCLC in patients whose disease has progressed after other therapies, and Belsomra for the treatment of insomnia.

For the nine months ended September 2015, Merck's sales declined by 8 per cent to $29,283 million from $31,755 million and net profit declined by 25 per cent to $3,465 million from $4,604 million. Its R&D expenditure remained stagnant at $4,906 million as against $4,897 million. The company divested its consumer care business on October 1, 2014.