Allegations
According to the complaint, defendants provided investors with material information concerning Merck’s expected revenue of $11 billion from sales of Gardasil by 2030. Defendants’ statements included, among other things, confidence in Merck’s purported ability to utilize successful consumer activation and education efforts on the benefits of Gardasil in order to drive demand and capitalize on eligible populations for vaccination, resulting in confidently optimistic reports and forecasts of Gardasil’s growth in China.
The full truth finally emerged on February 4, 2025, when Merck announced it would no longer achieve the long-forecasted $11 billion in sales of Gardasil by 2030, as it would cease shipments of Gardasil to China “through at least midyear” to facilitate a “rapid reduction of inventory.” Defendants claimed this was necessitated by the continued over-inflation of overall channel inventories as demand in China for Gardasil had “not recovered to the level we had expected.”
Following this news, Merck’s common stock declined dramatically. From a closing market price of $99.79 per share on February 3, 2025, Merck’s stock price fell to $90.74 per share on February 4, 2025, a decline of more than 9% in the span of just a single day.