TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Merck's chief executive says the drugmaker is "raring to go" on deals this year, particularly for small and midsize acquisitions of companies or their experimental drugs.
CEO Kenneth Frazier, speaking Tuesday at a Goldman Sachs conference of CEOs of health care companies, says he's eager to find opportunities to bolster Merck's drug pipeline.
He says he's willing to take more risk and favors deals that would position the Kenilworth, New Jersey company competitively in growing disease categories.
Frazier says anticipated approval later this month of its new hepatitis C drug should make it a player again in the lucrative market. He predicts Merck's Keytruda (Kee-TRU'-deh) will be a leader in immuno-oncology, with approvals for treating two types of cancer already and tests ongoing against about 30 more tumor types.
