Merck

Name

Merck

Legal name

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Website

https://merckgroup.com

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceuticals and Specialty Chemicals

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Dermatology & Aesthetics Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Manufacturing Quality, GMP Inspections & Compliance (HLAJADAG), Quality Engineering & Risk Management (ICH Q9/Q10, validation, change control) (HLAGAKAL), Dermatology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAL), mRNA & Nucleic Acid Manufacturing Services (mRNA/saRNA/Plasmid DNA) (HLAGAGAC), Pharma & Life Sciences Cold Chain Transport (GDP) (TLADAHAI)

Keywords

• Pharmaceutical products
• Life science tools
• Semiconductor materials
• Bioprocess solutions
• Specialty chemicals

Headquarters

HQ city

Darmstadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Healthcare (Pharmaceutical) Product Sales: Sales of approved drugs (e.g., Keytruda, Welireg, Mavenclad, Pergoveris) across oncology, neurology & immunology, fertility, cardiovascular, metabolism & endocrinology. Includes both innovative medicines and biosimilars.
2. Life Science Products & Services: Recurring and transactional revenue from Process Solutions (bioprocessing), Advanced Solutions, and Discovery Solutions — reagents, kits, bioprocess filtration, monoclonal antibodies, and chromatography consumables sold via MilliporeSigma brand.
3. Electronics / Semiconductor Materials: Sales of specialty materials and equipment to semiconductor industry including Thin Films, Optronics, Formulations, Metrology & Inspection, Delivery Systems & Services, Specialty Gases, and Intermolecular® products.
4. Q4 2025 Reported Revenue: Merck & Co. reported Q4 2025 revenue of $16.4 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $2.04, driven by oncology (Keytruda) and Animal Health growth despite Gardasil weakness.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operates across three integrated business sectors: Healthcare (prescription drugs in oncology, neurology & immunology, fertility, and general medicine), Life Science (MilliporeSigma-branded bioprocess, advanced, and discovery solutions for pharma, biotech, and research labs), and Electronics (semiconductor materials, specialty gases, delivery systems, and metrology for chipmakers). It develops, manufactures, and commercializes its own branded products globally under regional brands including MilliporeSigma, EMD Serono, and EMD Electronics in the US/Canada.

Product overview

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operates a three-sector portfolio (Life Science, Healthcare, and Electronics) delivered through regionally branded subsidiaries. The Life Science business is operated under the MilliporeSigma brand in the U.S./Canada and is organized into Process Solutions, Advanced Solutions, and Discovery Solutions, spanning products such as Duolink® proximity ligation assays, the recently acquired JSR Life Sciences chromatography portfolio, and MilliporeSigma's organoid offerings expanded via HUB Organoids. The Healthcare business, delivered as EMD Serono in the U.S./Canada, markets key products including KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) and its new subcutaneous formulation KEYTRUDA SC, WELIREG (belzutifan), WINREVAIR, Enflonsia, Mavenclad, Pergoveris, pimicotinib, and investigational assets such as MK 8527, DOR/ISL, Enlicitide Decanoate, and newly acquired CD388 (via Cidara) and TERN-701 (via Terns Pharmaceuticals). The Electronics business, operated as EMD Electronics in the U.S./Canada, supplies Semiconductor Thin Films, Optronics, Semiconductor Formulations, Metrology and Inspection, Delivery Systems & Services (DS&S), Specialty Gases, and Intermolecular® custom innovation, including next-generation molybdenum wiring material produced in South Korea. Cross-sector capabilities are anchored by a High-Performance Computer (HPC) in Munich launched in November 2025 with Lenovo and Equinix to accelerate AI/ML-enabled drug discovery, biomarker research (via Tempus AI), and AI-enabled virtual cell drug discovery (via Mayo Clinic).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MilliporeSigma: Life science brand used by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the United States and Canada (and globally for life science products), encompassing process solutions, advanced solutions and discovery solutions.
• EMD Serono
• EMD Electronics

Products and services

• KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) Merck's anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor and best-selling oncology immunotherapy; generated more than US$30 billion in 2025 sales and approved for numerous oncology indications including non-small cell lung cancer and certain ovarian cancer patients.
• KEYTRUDA SC (Subcutaneous) Subcutaneous formulation of pembrolizumab approved by Health Canada (Feb 2026) and the FDA for PD-L1-positive ovarian cancer, offering comparable drug levels to IV Keytruda with improved convenience.
• WELIREG (belzutifan) Merck's hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) inhibitor for advanced renal cell carcinoma; FDA accepted two supplemental NDAs in combination with LENVIMA (lenvatinib) with a PDUFA target action date of October 4, 2026.
• WINREVAIR Merck's pulmonary hypertension and heart failure therapy; Phase 2 CADENCE study demonstrated significant reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance, presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session and published in Circulation.
• Enflonsia Merck's monoclonal antibody for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract disease in neonates and infants entering their first RSV season; Health Canada approved in February 2026.
• Mavenclad (cladribine) Merck KGaA's oral multiple sclerosis therapy; U.S. sales expected to end in March 2026 due to generic competition following patent invalidation.
• Pergoveris Merck KGaA's fertility drug for women; Merck KGaA expressed caution over its U.S. launch amid uncertainty.
• pimicotinib Merck KGaA's therapy approved by China's medicines regulator in December 2025 for adults with symptomatic tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT), particularly when surgery is not suitable.
• Gardasil / Gardasil 9 Merck's HPV vaccine franchise for the prevention of HPV-related cancers; production at the Durham, NC facility is being wound down in 2026 due to decreased worldwide demand, particularly in China.
• MK 8527 Merck's experimental oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis pill currently in late-stage clinical trials expected to conclude in late 2027; potentially mass-produced for under $5 per patient annually.
• DOR/ISL Once-Daily Oral HIV Pill Merck's once-daily oral HIV drug that demonstrated 91.8% viral suppression in Phase 3 data; under FDA review with a target action date of April 28, 2026.
• Enlicitide Decanoate Merck's investigational oral PCSK9 inhibitor that significantly reduced LDL-C and secondary lipid endpoints (non-HDL-C, apoB, LpA) in the Phase 3 Coralreef Lipids trial.
• Process Solutions Merck KGaA's biopharmaceutical manufacturing offering providing products, tools, and services used in bioprocess production, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and industrial biotechnology processes; sold via MilliporeSigma brand globally.
• Advanced Solutions Merck KGaA's offering of specialized products and services for scientists and engineers developing next-generation therapies and complex manufacturing processes.
• Discovery Solutions Merck KGaA's research tools, reagents, kits, and instruments used by scientists in drug discovery and life science research; led by MilliporeSigma in the U.S./Canada, expanded in March 2026 with HUB Organoids acquisition and Promega/Opentrons partnerships.
• Duolink Merck's proximity ligation assay technology used to detect, visualize, and quantify protein interactions in cells and tissues; integrated with Promega's HiBiT tag technology for advanced 3D cellular analysis.
• Molybdenum (Mo) Semiconductor Wiring Material Next-generation molybdenum-based wiring material offering lower electrical resistance than tungsten and copper; Merck began production at its Eumseong plant in South Korea in 2026, initially for 3D NAND flash memory and expanding to logic and DRAM applications.
• Semiconductor Thin Films Thin-film materials and solutions for semiconductor manufacturing, including advanced nodes and 3D NAND flash memory processes.
• Semiconductor Specialty Gases Specialty gases used in semiconductor fabrication processes, sold to chipmakers and OEMs via EMD Electronics (US/Canada) and Merck KGaA (rest of world).
• Metrology and Inspection Metrology and inspection equipment and solutions for semiconductor manufacturing quality control.
• Delivery Systems and Services (DS&S) Delivery systems and services for safe and reliable delivery of specialty materials to electronics customers.
• Intermolecular Merck's custom innovation services and advanced materials development for semiconductor and electronics customers, leveraging the Intermolecular platform acquired in 2019.
• High-Performance Computer (HPC) Merck KGaA's high-performance computer launched in Munich, Germany in November 2025 in collaboration with Lenovo and Equinix to accelerate research and AI/ML model training across Life Science, Healthcare, and Electronics sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• $16.4 billion Q4 2025 revenue; $2.04 non-GAAP EPS (beat consensus)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability16 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Quotient TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2026Multi-year collaboration using Quotient's somatic genomics platform for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) drug discovery. Merck will pay $20M upfront with Quotient eligible for more than $2B in development, regulatory, and commercial milestones. Marks Quotient's third major pharma partnership after Pfizer and GSK.
• Tempus AIcoreTechnology or Integration · 3 March 2026Multi-year strategic collaboration to accelerate AI-driven precision medicine, focusing on oncology and broader therapeutic areas. Merck will utilize Tempus's multimodal data and AI platforms to discover biomarkers and improve patient outcomes.
• PfizerflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026Combination of Merck's Keytruda and Pfizer's Padcev for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Phase 3 trial cut risk of disease progression, recurrence, or death by 47% and reduced death risk by 35%; 55.8% pathological complete response rate vs 32.5% standard care.
• EisaiflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 February 2026Co-development of Welireg (belzutifan) + Lenvima (lenvatinib) combination therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma. Phase 3 LITESPARK-011 trial showed 30% reduction in disease progression risk. FDA accepted two sNDAs with PDUFA target action date of October 4, 2026.
• SynthekineminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2026Phase II Synergy-101 clinical trial evaluating STK-012 combined with Merck's Keytruda and chemotherapy in NSCLC patients. First patient enrolled November 2025.
• Mayo ClinicflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2026R&D collaboration to apply AI, advanced analytics, and multimodal clinical data (laboratory results, medical imaging, clinical notes, molecular data) to support drug discovery and development. Integrates Mayo Clinic Platform with Merck's AI-enabled virtual cell technologies. Marks Mayo Clinic's first strategic collaboration of this scale with a global biopharmaceutical company.
• Calla Lily Clinical CarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2026Strategic collaboration on Callavid, an intravaginal drug delivery platform with a leak-free, tampon-shaped design. Initial indications include fertility and pregnancy applications, with broader potential in menopause, infectious diseases, and live biotherapeutics delivery.
• Valo HealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2025Strategic AI-based Parkinson's disease drug discovery partnership. The deal could involve up to $3 billion in payments, R&D funding, and royalties. Valo's data-driven approach to disease biology is intended to accelerate drug discovery for high unmet medical needs.
• LenovocoreTechnology or Integration · 20 November 2025Collaboration with Lenovo and Equinix to launch a state-of-the-art high-performance computer in Munich, Germany, accelerating innovation in Merck KGaA's life science, healthcare, and electronics sectors.
• EquinixcoreTechnology or Integration · 20 November 2025Collaboration with Lenovo and Equinix to launch a state-of-the-art high-performance computer in Munich, Germany, supporting AI/ML research and digital strategies across Merck's three business sectors.
• Ad ScientiamminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2025Collaboration to launch a digital clinical study in Europe in 2026 evaluating a software as a medical device for monitoring generalized Myasthenia Gravis (gMG) using wearable technology and digital tools over 12 months.
• PromegacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025Partnership to co-develop technologies enhancing drug discovery, focusing on 3D cell cultures and novel assay systems. Plans include integrating Merck's Duolink® with Promega's HiBiT technologies. Extended into organoid drug screening assays via MilliporeSigma.
• JSR Life SciencescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 15 October 2025Merck is acquiring the chromatography business of JSR Life Sciences to expand its life science bioprocess solutions.
• Chord TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 December 2021Merck KGaA acquired Chord Therapeutics, a Swiss biopharmaceutical company, to expand its neurology pipeline and develop Chord's lead drug candidate, CRD1 (cladribine), for rare neuroinflammatory diseases such as gMG and NMOSD.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves13 records

Broad incumbents

• Merck & Co., Inc. The U.S. pharmaceutical company (NYSE: MRK) is legally unaffiliated but shares the MERK name globally; operates the larger oncology franchise (Keytruda, Gardasil) and a broader pharmaceutical R&D engine, making it the most directly comparable large-cap pharma peer despite the legal separation.
• Roche Holding AG: Swiss-based global healthcare conglomerate combining pharmaceuticals and diagnostics; comparable as a diversified science company with oncology focus, deep R&D pipeline, and integrated diagnostics-therapeutics capabilities similar to Merck KGaA's Healthcare + Life Science structure.
• Sanofi: Global biopharmaceutical company with overlapping therapeutic areas (neurology/immunology, rare disease, oncology); the destination of outgoing Merck KGaA CEO Belén Garijo, making it a closely watched comparator for talent flow and strategic positioning in European pharma.
• Pfizer Inc. Global biopharmaceutical company and Merck KGaA's co-development partner on Keytruda+Padcev in muscle-invasive bladder cancer; comparable in scale, oncology pipeline breadth, and life science/bioprocessing supply chain relationships.
• Novartis AG: Swiss-headquartered global pharma with a deep oncology franchise (Pluvicto, Kisqali), cardiovascular (Entresto, Leqvio), and immunology; comparable scale and therapeutic area overlap to Merck KGaA's healthcare businesses including oncology, neurology, and cardiovascular.

Direct peers

• Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Global leader in life science tools, bioprocessing, and analytical instruments serving pharma/biotech/research customers — directly comparable to Merck KGaA's MilliporeSigma Process Solutions, Advanced Solutions, and Discovery Solutions businesses across similar customer segments.
• Danaher Corporation: Diversified life science and diagnostics conglomerate (Cytiva, Beckman Coulter, Leica, etc.); competes directly with Merck KGaA's MilliporeSigma in bioprocess solutions, chromatography, and discovery/research tools serving pharma/biotech manufacturers.
• Agilent Technologies Inc. Life science and applied markets company providing instruments, software, and consumables for analytical workflows; directly comparable to Merck KGaA's Discovery Solutions and MilliporeSigma analytical reagents business, and a collaborator (Agilent's PD-L1 companion diagnostic was approved alongside subcutaneous Keytruda).
• Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. Japanese specialty chemical company and dominant global supplier of semiconductor materials (photoresists, silicon wafers, rare earth magnets); directly comparable to Merck KGaA's Electronics business in thin films, specialty materials, and advanced node manufacturing inputs.
• JSR Corporation: Japanese specialty materials and life sciences company; Merck KGaA's acquisition of JSR Life Sciences' chromatography business (announced October 2025) makes it a direct comparable and partner in bioprocess chromatography and semiconductor materials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/merckgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/MerckDeutschland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/merck-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/_emdgroup_/?hl=en

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A17 records

Investments15 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Merck