(Amended: corrects to say that excluding items, Company reported loss vs profit last year)
Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK), a pharmaceutical company, on Thursday reported a net loss for the first quarter of 2026, due to acquisition charges. However, the drugmaker recorded a rise in sales, helped by the performance of oncology and animal health segments, and increased contributions from launches.
For the three-month period, the drug maker reported a net loss of $4.240 billion, compared with a net income of $5.079 billion in the same period last year. Net loss per share stood at $1.72 as against a net income of $2.01 per share a year ago. Excluding items, loss was $3.156 billion, or $1.28 per share, compared with a profit of $5.611 billion, or $2.22 per share last year.
The company's loss was due to a $3.62 per share charge for the acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics, Inc.
Merck recorded sales of $16.286 billion, higher than $15.529 billion in the previous year.
Looking ahead for fiscal 2026, the drugmaker now expects adjusted income of $5.04 to $5.16 per share, including a positive impact from foreign exchange of around $0.10 per share. Merck now anticipates annual sales of $65.8 billion to $67 billion, including a positive impact from foreign exchange of around 1%.
Earlier, for fiscal 2026, the company had projected adjusted income of $5 to $5.15 per share, with sales of $65.5 billion to $67 billion. For fiscal 2025, Merck had posted adjusted income of $8.98 per share, with revenue of $65 billion.
MRK was up by 3.63% at $115.05 in the pre-market trade on the New York Stock Exchange.
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.