The Merck logo is seen at a gate to the Merck & Co campus in Rahway, New Jersey, U.S., July 12, 2018.
Merck said Keytruda sales for the quarter jumped 19% to $6.3 billion, surpassing analysts' average estimate of $5.9 billion.
Sales of Gardasil, which prevents cancers caused by HPV, surged 47% to $2.5 billion, also well above Wall Street estimates of $2.1 billion.
There is room for further Gardasil growth as its use expands into treating males and moves into smaller cities, he added.
Despite those challenges, Merck raised its full-year sales forecast to $58.6 to $59.6 billion, from its prior view of $57.7 billion to $58.9 billion.
Persons:
Brendan McDermid, Merck, Rob Davis, Davis, Keytruda, Caroline Litchfield, Litchfield, Bill Smead, Prometheus, drugmaker, Michael Erman, Leroy Leo, Bill Berkrot
Organizations:
Merck, Co, REUTERS, Reuters Connect Companies Merck, Merck & Co, Keytruda, Prometheus Biosciences, Analysts, Prometheus, Smead Capital Management, drugmaker, Thomson
Locations:
Rahway , New Jersey, U.S, United States, China, Europe, Germany, New York, Bengaluru