Merck & Co. stock slips as HIV pipeline stays in focus

Published on 11/10/2026 at 16:36 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

Merck & Co. stock traded at 130.78 euros on Lang & Schwarz on Tuesday. HIV Glasgow puts weekly treatment and monthly prevention programs in focus.

HIV Pipeline Keeps Investors Focused

Merck is presenting Phase 3 analyses for daily and once-weekly HIV treatments at HIV Drug Therapy Glasgow.
Adult enrollment is complete in two Phase 3 trials of the investigational once-monthly PrEP candidate alimatravir.
The FDA has set April 22, 2027, as the target action date for two IDVYNSO applications.

Merck & Co., US58933Y1055, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Merck & Co. is using HIV Drug Therapy Glasgow 2026 to present a broader oral treatment and prevention pipeline. In a November 2 announcement summarized by AD HOC NEWS, the company outlined presentations scheduled from November 8 through November 11.

Merck plans Week 48 subgroup analyses for the investigational once-weekly combination of islatravir and lenacapavir in the Phase 3 ISLEND-1 and ISLEND-2 studies. The program also includes patient-reported outcomes and an assessment of experiences with weekly dosing among adults with virologically suppressed HIV-1.

Pipeline breadth remains central

The Glasgow program covers the approved once-daily doravirine and islatravir tablet IDVYNSO, including Week 48 resistance and weight analyses from Trial 53 and Week 96 patient-reported outcomes from Trials 51 and 52. Merck is also presenting Phase 2b material on the investigational weekly islatravir and ulonivirine combination.

In prevention, alimatravir, also known as MK-8527, is being evaluated as a potential once-monthly oral pre-exposure prophylaxis option. Adult enrollment has been completed in the Phase 3 EXPrESSIVE-10 and EXPrESSIVE-11 studies, with participant demographics scheduled for presentation. The programs remain dependent on future clinical and regulatory outcomes.

Regulatory milestone adds visibility

The US Food and Drug Administration has accepted two supplemental applications for IDVYNSO. One concerns adults who have not previously received antiretroviral treatment, while the other covers 96-week data in virologically suppressed adults. The target action date for both applications is April 22, 2027.

What changed since the latest report

Merck & Co. stock traded at 130.78 euros on Lang & Schwarz at 16:32 CET on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 0.70 percent below the Xetra close of Monday, November 9, at 131.70 euros. The quote was 2.08 percent below the 133.56-euro price recorded in the latest relevant report at 13:32 CET on the same day.