Merck's quarterly sales rise 5.4 pct on Keytruda strength

Feb 1 (Reuters) – U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co Inc on Friday reported a 5.4 percent rise in quarterly sales, helped by strong demand for its blockbuster cancer treatment Keytruda.

Sales of Keytruda, the most important drug in Merck’s portfolio, rose 66 percent to $2.15 billion in fourth quarter, compared with analysts’ average estimate of $2.12 billion, according to IBES estimates from Refinitiv.

Revenue rose to $11 billion from $10.43 billion. (Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)