Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., commonly known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, operates as Merck & Co., Inc. within those two countries. Headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, U.S., the company was initially established in the U.S. in 1891 as a subsidiary of a German firm, gaining independence in 1917 and merging with Sharp & Dohme in 1953. As a publicly traded entity on the NYSE under the symbol MRK, it is a major global biopharmaceutical company. As of December 31, 2025, Merck reported approximately 75,000 employees and anticipated revenues of $65.0 billion for 2025.

Merck is a global healthcare company focused on discovering, developing, manufacturing, and marketing a broad range of innovative health solutions. Its core offerings include prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products. Key product areas encompass oncology (notably Keytruda for cancer treatment), a wide array of vaccines (including Gardasil for HPV, influenza, and MMR), treatments for infectious diseases, and medications for cardiometabolic disorders. The company heavily invests in research and development to advance its product pipeline.

In terms of patent litigation, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. acts as an operating company that primarily defends against infringement claims. The company has zero tracked cases as a plaintiff and two as a defendant, indicating it is typically a target of patent assertions rather than an assertor. Both tracked cases against the company are filed in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey, which is consistent with its headquarters location and not known as a plaintiff-friendly patent venue like the Eastern District of Texas.

The two tracked cases, both titled "Halozyme, Inc. v. Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. et al.," were filed on April 24, 2025. Halozyme alleges that Merck's subcutaneous (SC) formulation of its blockbuster cancer drug, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), infringes 15 of Halozyme's patents related to modified human hyaluronidase PH20 enzymes, marketed as MDASE™. Halozyme claims Merck knowingly proceeded with developing and commercializing SC KEYTRUDA using "berahyaluronidase alfa" despite awareness of Halozyme's patent portfolio and is seeking damages and injunctive relief, including for alleged willful infringement. This litigation follows a preliminary injunction issued by a German court in December 2025, which temporarily prevented Merck from launching Keytruda SC in Germany.