Merck keeps growing

Article Excerpt

MERCK & CO. INC. $81.07 is a #1 Power Buy for your 2021 investing. The drugmaker (New York symbol MRK; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average) (www.merck.com; Shares o/s: 2.5 billion; Market cap: $202.2 billion; Divd. yield: 3.2%) has two big new developments underway. First, it has agreed to buy Acceleron Pharma (symbol XLRN on Nasdaq) for $11.5 billion. The deal will bolster Merck’s rare-disease business with Acceleron’s treatments for respiratory and blood diseases. The market for treatments targeting rare diseases is lucrative as drugmakers typically charge higher prices for drugs that serve small patient populations. Second, the company is now seeking Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for molnupiravir, its experimental COVID-19 medication. The pill cut the risk of hospitalization or death in study subjects with mild to moderate COVID-19 by 50%. The market for the pill could be huge. Merck & Co. is a #1 Power Buy for 2021. 2021…