Now, oncology – that’s where the truly enormous piles of money are. Bigger even than sweets, though don’t tell the Oompa Loompas I said so. Everyone’s scrambling for a slice of this pie, especially now that those weight-loss potions are muscling in. But cancer? That’s a beast that won’t be tamed quickly, and where the fortunes will continue to bloom.
There’s a little company called ImmunityBio (IBRX +1.50%). They’re making a bit of a splash, all bubbly and bright, like a fizzy drink. Shares have zoomed upwards, a rather dizzying climb. But a splash, my friends, can quickly become a puddle. And puddles, well, they’re easily stepped over. While they seem promising, if you’re looking to build a proper treasure chest, a sturdy, reliable ship is what you need, not a leaky dinghy.
That ship, you see, is Merck (MRK 2.74%). Let’s have a peek under the hull, shall we?
ImmunityBio’s Bouncy Numbers
ImmunityBio concocted a medicine called Anktiva. A rather peculiar name, if you ask me. It got the nod for bladder cancer in 2024. And, goodness gracious, did it zoom! Their revenue shot up by a whopping 668% last year. A truly spectacular number, like a giant beanstalk growing overnight.
Now, a bit of honesty. Anktiva only had half a year to strut its stuff, being approved in April. So, comparing it to a full year’s performance is a bit like comparing a snail to a rocket. Still, it’s a bouncy number, no denying that.
They’re planning to launch it in Europe and Saudi Arabia, and they’re poking and prodding at it to see if it can tackle lung cancer, lymphoma, even things like HIV. Ambitious, certainly. But ambition, without a solid foundation, is a rather wobbly thing.
Why Merck is the Sensible Sort
ImmunityBio is doing well right now. But valuations, my dears, are a bit like gingerbread houses. They look delightful, but a strong gust of wind…well. Their market cap is $9.7 billion, while their sales are, let’s just say, a rather modest amount. The market looks forward, yes, but it also has a habit of tripping over its own feet.
Anktiva could stumble in trials. Rollout could go awry. Regulatory hurdles could pop up like nasty toadstools. And if any of that happens, the share price will plummet faster than a dropped plum pudding. That’s why, despite the bounce, ImmunityBio feels a bit… precarious.
Merck, on the other hand, isn’t about fireworks. It’s about steady, reliable growth. They have a medicine called Keytruda, and it’s the best-selling cancer medicine in the world. An absolute beast of a drug, approved for more cancers than you can shake a stick at – over 30 in the U.S. alone! That’s impressive, even for a giant.
Now, Keytruda’s patent will expire in 2028. But Merck isn’t sitting on its hands. They’ve concocted a new version, a subcutaneous formulation – easier to administer, faster, and, crucially, with a longer patent life. A clever trick, and one that will keep the money flowing.
So, Merck’s cancer business should remain a sturdy engine for years to come. And they’re launching new products, running dozens of clinical trials. They’re even dabbling in bispecific antibodies – a fancy new class of drugs that could become the kings of oncology. A clever bunch, those Merck scientists.
But Merck isn’t just about cancer. They have other medicines, too – Winrevair, for pulmonary arterial hypertension, is a particularly good one. And a pipeline brimming with possibilities. A vast, diversified operation, built on solid foundations. That, my friends, is a safer bet than a bouncy little company with a single, spectacular number.
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2026-03-05 18:02