Media Thread, page-1040

Great article.

This part stood out for me, as I've heard that Merck are keeping a close eye on Imugene ...

"Among the 10 large U.S. drugmakers Moody’s follows, Merck has the most financial firepower to pull off M&A without hurting its current credit rating. Merck’s cash on hand, existing debt level and potential free cash flow together look the best among its peers.

The New Jersey pharma has been under investor pressure to diversify its portfolio beyond what’s soon to be the world’s best-selling drug—its immuno-oncology therapy Keytruda. The company did strike several deals recently when incoming CEO Rob Davis was behind the M&A wheel as chief financial officer. It unveiled just two months ago a $1.85 billion transaction for Pandion Therapeutics.

During the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, Davis said the company would still be looking at “smaller opportunities where we can find great science earlier in its life” and will not rule out larger-scale deals."