Two biopharma giants, Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD), are proving that in modern drug development, the biggest catalyst isn't always competing head-to-head; it is knowing when to join forces. While both companies reported their first-quarter 2026 earnings earlier this year, their recent double dose of clinical and regulatory breakthroughs across oncology and virology shows how strategic alliances can reshape two massive therapeutic markets at once.
Merck & Co., Inc. delivered $16.3 billion in total sales for the first quarter of 2026, up 5% year-over-year (3% excluding foreign exchange). Top-line growth continued to be anchored by its flagship oncology therapy, Keytruda, which, alongside its sub-formulations, brought in $8.0 billion in sales, representing an 8% ex-exchange increase. Pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment Winrevair also contributed strongly with $525 million in quarterly revenue, up 87% ex-exchange. GAAP and non-GAAP bottom-line metrics reflected net losses per share of $1.72 and $1.28, respectively, largely driven by upfront charges tied to the strategic acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics. Despite those acquisition-related charges, Merck narrowed and raised the midpoint of its full-year worldwide sales guidance to between $65.8 billion and $67.0 billion.
Merck's growth story remains heavily reliant on expanding Keytruda's reach into earlier-stage treatments and novel combination regimens. With key patent expirations approaching toward the end of the decade, management has aggressively pursued business development and combination therapies to diversify its revenue base and maintain its dominance in immuno-oncology.
Gilead Sciences, Inc. reported $7.0 billion in total revenue for the first quarter of 2026, posting 5% year-over-year product sales growth. Gilead's base business, excluding COVID-19 treatment Veklury, rose 8% year-over-year to $6.8 billion, powered by its market-leading HIV franchise, which generated $5.0 billion in sales (up 10% year-over-year). Biktarvy remained the primary growth driver, while newly launched therapies like Yeztugo (lenacapavir) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis provided fresh momentum. The corporation's adjusted diluted earnings per share reached $2.03.
Backed by strong demand across its core virology portfolio, Gilead Sciences, Inc. raised its full-year 2026 total product sales guidance range by $400 million, targeting $30.0 billion to $30.4 billion.

#billion #merck #sciences #oncology

Pfizer (PFE) yields nearly 7% as COVID drugs crater, while Merck (MRK) compounds at 66% one-year gains with a leaner 3% payout.
Pfizer runs 20 pivotal trials in 2026 targeting obesity and oncology, with a Vyndamax patent extension to 2031 protecting dividend coverage.
It sounds nuts, but SoFi1 is giving new Active Invest users up to $3,000 in stock for a limited time, and all it takes is a $50 deposit to get started.2 See for yourself (Sponsor)
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Merck (NYSE:MRK) refreshed the dividend debate with their latest quarterly reports.
Pfizer defends one of Big Pharma's fattest yields while its COVID franchise fades. Merck absorbs multi-billion dollar deal charges to reload a pipeline behind Keytruda. Two payouts, two very different risk profiles for income investors.

#NYSE #yields #Dividend

Baron Capital, an investment management company, released its Q2 2026 investor letter for the "Baron Health Care Fund". A copy of the letter is available to download here. The Fund gained 11.99% during the quarter, compared with the 10.48% gain for the Russell 3000 Health Care Index and the 15.44% gain for the Russell 3000 Index. Since inception, the Fund appreciated 10.61% on an annualized basis, compared with 10.02% for the Benchmark and 14.83% for the Index. Strong stock selection in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, health care equipment, and life sciences tools and services supported the Fund's outperformance, although limited exposure to managed care stocks reduced relative returns. The Fund remains positive on health care due to improving biotechnology funding, strong acquisition activity, recovering managed care margins, and growth from an aging population, chronic disease, medical innovation, and higher health care spending. In addition, please check the Fund's top five holdings to know the best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Baron Health Care Fund highlighted Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD). Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD), a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and commercializes medicines for unmet medical needs, detracted from the fund's performance during the quarter. On August 03, 2026, Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) closed at $131.15 per share. The one-month return of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) was -3.82%, and its shares gained 16.62% over the past 52 weeks. Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) has a market capitalization of $162.83 billion.
Baron Health Care Fund stated the following regarding Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Biotechnology company Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) is best known for developing and commercializing therapies that treat and prevent HIV. Following a strong first-quarter advance driven by continued enthusiasm surrounding the launch of Yeztugo for HIV prevention, the stock detracted from performance in the second quarter. Shares pulled back after management issued conservative 2026 guidance in February, including expectations for approximately $800 million of Yeztugo sales, below investor expectations. Despite the more cautious outlook, we remain confident in Yeztugo's long-term opportunity. Unlike Descovy, a daily oral preventive treatment, Yeztugo is a twice-yearly injectable therapy that has the potential to significantly improve patient compliance. Looking ahead, we continue to view Gilead as a leader in HIV treatment and prevention, with Yeztugo representing an important new preventive option and a promising next-generation pipeline that includes a weekly oral lenacapavir and islatravir combination being developed with Merck & Co., Inc., as well as a wholly-owned weekly regimen incorporating a novel integrase inhibitor designed to offer a higher barrier to resistance."

#sciences #gild #Health

By Michael Erman and Christy Santhosh
Aug 4 (Reuters) - Merck reported higher-than-expected second-quarter sales on Tuesday and raised its full-year revenue forecast on the strength of its top-selling cancer treatment Keytruda.
The U.S. drugmaker reported quarterly revenue ‌of $16.61 billion, up 5% from a year earlier and above ******* ysts' average estimate of $16.36 billion, according to LSEG ‌data.
Merck reported a loss for the quarter due to a $5.7 billion charge from its acquisition of cancer drug developer Terns Pharmaceuticals.
The company's reported loss in the quarter was 13 cents per share, including the $2.31 per share charge from the deal. ******* ysts had expected a larger adjusted loss per share of 27 cents, and Merck shares rose 0.6% to $128.54 in early trading.

#quarter #billion

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) just extended its diagnostics franchise into one of oncology's toughest corners. On July 23, the company said European regulators had certified its PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx test, Code SK006, as a companion diagnostic for epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal carcinoma. That lets pathologists flag patients who might benefit from Merck's Keytruda. It is a narrow, technical-sounding approval, but it adds up to something bigger: Agilent's diagnostics business keeps racking up new indications while competitors scramble to keep pace.
Bull Case: A Diagnostics Machine That Keeps Adding Indications
This is now the eighth CE-marked indication for the 22C3 pharmDx ****** ay in the EU, following FDA approval of a related PD-L1 test (28-8 pharmDx) for esophageal and gastric cancers just nine days earlier. Each new label doesn't require Agilent to build a new product; it just extends the reach of an ****** ay already running in labs worldwide, which is a high-margin way to grow. Agilent has also been adding inorganically, closing its acquisition of Biocare Medical in June to deepen its clinical pathology reach, the same market where this new ovarian cancer approval lives. Together, the pipeline of regulatory wins and the acquisition strategy point to a company compounding its diagnostics footprint one label at a time rather than swinging for one blockbuster product.
Bear Case: A Crowded Diagnostics Field With A Scarier Neighbor
Companion diagnostics is not Agilent's alone to win. Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR), through its Leica Biosystems unit, competes directly for the same pathology lab budgets and just agreed on July 14 to acquire StatLab Medical Products to strengthen its own histology and AI-pathology pipeline. Danaher's own stock cratered 14% on July 21 after it trimmed its core revenue growth outlook, even though it beat on earnings and raised its profit forecast.

#pharmdx #pathology

Newly crowned five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar will race in this month's Vuelta a Espana in an attempt to win all three of cycling's Grand Tours.
The Slovenian UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider will be the runaway favourite to win the three-week Grand Tour after becoming the joint most successful Tour de France champion of all time last month, alongside fellow greats Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
Pogacar won the 2024 Giro d'Italia by nearly 10 minutes, and would become only the ninth rider to win all three Grand Tours in history should he triumph in Spain.
The 27-year-old finished third at the Tour of Spain as a youngster in 2019.
"I'm excited to say I'm going back to La Vuelta," said Pogacar. "It was my first ever Grand Tour back in 2019 and an amazing experience.

#vuelta

Markets enter an earnings-dominated week with a huge concentration of corporate results spanning technology, industrials, healthcare, consumer discretionary, and entertainment sectors.
This will provide a critical ******* sment of economic health and corporate fundamentals amid persistent uncertainty about technology sector valuations and AI infrastructure spending.
Apple Delivers Strong Free Cash Flow, But What is the Best AAPL Play?
Stop Missing Market Moves: Get the FREE Barchart Brief – your midday dose of stock movers, trending sectors, and actionable trade ideas, delivered right to your inbox. Sign Up Now!
The earnings calendar features major reports from ******* eX (SPCX), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Palantir Technologies (PLTR), Pfizer (PFE), McDonald's (MCD), Arista Networks (ANET), Caterpillar (CAT), Spotify (SPOT), Merck (MRK), SanDisk (SNDK), Uber Technology (UBER), AppLovin (APP), Shopify (SHOP), Disney (DIS), and Eli Lilly (LLY).

#earnings #corporate #delivers

ATLANTA (AP) — Martín Pérez held Washington hitless until the seventh inning, Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Dominic Smith hit home runs, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Nationals 8-3 on Saturday night, their third straight win in the series.
Pérez (7-6) started in place of Reynaldo López, who was scratched 35 minutes before the game with left knee inflammation.
He allowed one hit, no runs and had six strikeouts in seven innings on 78 pitches against the highest scoring team in Major League Baseball. Brady House broke up the no-hit bid with a clean single to right field.
The Braves have not had a no-hitter since 1994, when Kent Mercker shut down the Dodgers in a 6-0 victory. They have just four since the team moved to Atlanta in 1966.
Austin Riley was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and Mike Yastrzemski had two hits and scored a run for the Braves, who are 8-2 at home since the All-Star break.

#runs

The Tour de France Femmes begins in Lausanne, Switzerland on Saturday - but it's the race's first ascent of the iconic Mont Ventoux that is really exciting fans.
Riders will cover 1,175km across nine stages - the most since the event returned to the World Tour calendar as a stage race in 2022.
That includes the stage-seven slog up one of the most iconic climbs in the sport's history - to the telecommunications and meteorological tower on the top of Provence's Mont Ventoux.
Ventoux has been an iconic mountain stage for the men's Tour for generations, won by legendary figures such as Eddy Merckx, Marco Pantani and Chris Froome.
Alongside in-form rivals such as the Netherlands' Demi Vollering of FDJ-Suez United, last year's winner Pauline Ferrand-Prevot of Visma Lease a Bike will be hoping to steal a march.

#france #femmes #switzerland #saturday

This story was originally published on BioPharma Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily BioPharma Dive newsletter.
Sarepta Therapeutics has found the leader it hopes can engineer a desperately needed turnaround.
The company on Monday announced that Michael Severino, an executive with leadership experience at startups as well as large drugmakers, will become its next CEO effective July 28. He'll replace longtime leader Doug Ingram, who in February announced plans to retire after a tumultuous run.
Severino has been working in the biopharmaceutical industry for more than two decades, including stops at AbbVie and Amgen. At AbbVie, Severino helped bring to market multiple drugs for psoriasis, arthritis, cancer and hepatitis C. At Amgen, he oversaw research and development as the company's senior vice president of development and corporate chief medical officer.
In 2022, Severino left AbbVie to run Tessera Therapeutics, a buzzy "gene writing" startup backed by Flagship Pioneering. Tessera recently brought its first drug prospect, a gene editing treatment for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, into clinical testing. Last week, Tessera announced that Severino had joined a "commercial stage" biotech company and that former Merck & Co. executive Joseph Romanelli would serve as its next leader.

#abbvie #tessera #biopharma #amgen

Few things in life are certain beyond death, taxes, and Tadej Pogacar winning the Tour de France. This year's Grande Boucle went almost entirely as expected, offering few real surprises or diversions from the status quo, as the marauding Slovenian won another five stages en route to his record-equalling fifth ****** le.
His place in the pantheon of greats had already been cemented and there are few superlatives left to describe his grip on the sport. He is now equal with cycling legends in the form of Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain on five wins; his 26 stage wins leave him nine off the record of Mark Cavendish, who will be wishing he'd postponed retirement by another year or two.
There could have been more had Pogacar not opted to babysit young teammate Isaac del Toro to a stage win, third place on the podium, and the best young rider's jersey too. Pogacar is able to win at will but sometimes seems happier in the role of world's most powerful domestique; perhaps the only thing holding him back from an unprecedented sixth ****** le is whether he can muster the enthusiasm for it. At 27, he is younger than all of his fellow five-time winners were and will be in his prime for a while yet.
But while the Pogacar era looks set to continue for some time, the post-Pogacar era already looks to be one to savour. Those left cold by the two-time world champion's iron grip on the sport can set a reminder to tune in in a couple of seasons' time, or perhaps as early as this autumn's Vuelta, should Pogacar skip it – as expected – to target a third rainbow jersey.
Pogacar seemed to enjoy helping del Toro as much if not more than winning stages (AP)

#pogacar

We can separate high-yield dividend stocks into two broad categories. The first group consists of companies with stable businesses that generate consistent cash flow and are very likely to continue paying -- and perhaps raising -- their dividends for the foreseeable future. The second are distressed corporations. They boast high yields because their share prices have fallen substantially, reflecting weak business fundamentals.
Many investors would put Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) in the second group. The drugmaker's shares have lost significant value over the past five years, as the company has failed to sustain the amazing success it achieved in the coronavirus market. However, there is much more to the story. Let's discuss why Pfizer's 7% forward yield is more sustainable than it appears at first glance.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Pfizer's revenue and earnings have declined over the past five years, while it has maintained and even increased its dividend. The company's payout ratio has soared as a result -- it is currently about 127%. That looks unsustainable. But Pfizer's cash payout ratio, a much better measure of whether the company can maintain its dividend program intact, looks less scary at 107.7%. Management is confident of the company's ability to sustain, and even increase, the payout moving forward. That isn't just wishful thinking: Pfizer could improve its business in the coming years and eventually post much stronger financial results.
Consider that Pfizer boasts highly promising programs in the pipeline that will yield brand-new approvals and label expansions. For instance, the company's Padcev is a cancer medicine that is currently one of its better-performing products. On July 10, Padcev earned approval for the treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer in combination with Merck's (NYSE: MRK) Keytruda. Padcev was granted the green light regardless of whether patients are eligible for Cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug for bladder cancer that is effective but comes with significant side effects. That's a big deal since many drugs for bladder cancer (including Padcev, initially) aren't approved regardless of Cisplatin eligibility.

#NVIDIA #yield #first

Finding a good dividend stock to buy at any given time usually isn't too tough. Finding one you can buy and hold forever, however, is a different story. The matter of longevity comes into play. You want to be sure the underlying company has the longevity required to not only continue paying its dividend, but to reliably raise its dividend payments at least in step with inflation. That's a taller order.
Nevertheless, these dividend names are out there. Here's a closer look at three of them.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Given the company's struggle since the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic undermined a fantastic but short-lived franchise, some investors might be surprised that drugmaker Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) earned a spot on this list. But it has, particularly since newcomers will be plugging into a healthy forward-looking dividend yield of 6.9%.
Although it'll be a while until investors can clearly see it, this pharmaceutical giant is developing multiple new profit centers. It acquired Seagen in 2023, for instance, largely for its oncology pipeline. This pipeline includes cancer-fighting Padcev, which was recently approved as a treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer when used in conjunction with Merck's Keytruda.

#Dividend #flashing

July 22 (Reuters) - Repligen Corp said on Wednesday it would buy BioLife Solutions in a cash-and-stock deal valued at ‌about $1.5 billion, to expand the drugmaking equipment provider's presence in ‌the fast-growing cell therapy market.
The acquisition gives Repligen access to BioLife's technology to preserve cells throughout the manufacturing process and the supply chain, as well as its portfolio of cell-processing tools and high-margin consumables business.
Larger peer Danaher on Tuesday signaled a recovery in demand for bioprocessing products, including ‌equipment and consumables used ⁠to manufacture biologic drugs, as biotech and pharmaceutical companies ramp up spending after a broader slowdown in research ⁠spending and customer inventories in recent years.
The acquisition comes a month after German drugmaker Merck KGaA's $11.3 billion deal to buy Bio-Techne, underscoring growing interest in companies making tools for drug development.
BioLife shareholders will receive $11.25 in ‌cash and 0.1442 shares of Repligen for each share, valuing the cell therapy tools supplier at $31 per share — a premium of about 6.2% to BioLife's last close.

#tools #billion #equipment #growing

It has been a strange year for the U.S. stock market. The S&P 500 ($SPX) is up about 10% so far, but most of that gain has come from just 23 stocks, mainly in AI and energy. The rest of the market has barely moved. When gains are this concentrated, it often makes investors cautious and pushes them toward safer, dividend-paying stocks.
One name standing out in that shift is Merck & Co. (MRK). The stock is up 19% year-to-date (YTD), beating the S&P 500's 10% return over the same period. Moreover, Merck pays a steady quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, which works out to a yield of about 2.68% at current prices.
Get exclusive insights with the FREE Barchart Brief newsletter. Subscribe now for quick, incisive midday market ***** ysis you won't find anywhere else.
So if investors are rotating into safer names and Merck is already ahead, what is driving this performance, and can it last? Let's take a closer look.
Merck & Co. is one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, focused on developing medicines, vaccines, and biologics, with strong positions in cancer treatment, infectious diseases, and animal health.

Tadej Pogacar took a big step towards winning the Tour de France for a record-equalling fifth time with a dominant victory on stage six, regaining the leader's yellow jersey.
The defending champion established a lead with ease on the iconic Col du Tourmalet during the first 186.2km mountain stage of the three-week race.
Pogacar, 27, is aiming to become the joint-most successful rider in the Tour's history, alongside Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
Between launching his attack five kilometres from the top of the Tourmalet to the summit of the climb, UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Pogacar gained 30 seconds over his main rival Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark - and a devastating one minute 45 seconds over Belgium's Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and young French hope Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM.
Pogacar eventually crossed the line of the stage from Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre two minutes 38 seconds ahead of Visma-Lease a Bike's Vingegaard, with Pogacar's team-mate and chosen lead domestique Isaac del Toro of Mexico a further 19 seconds down, along with Evenepoel and Seixas.

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard took the yellow jersey on the opening stage of the Tour de France following a tense team time trial.
Two-time Tour winner Vingegaard finished the 19.6km course in 21 minutes, 47 seconds - eight seconds ahead of Italy's Filippo Ganna of the British Netcompany Ineos Cycling team.
Favourite for the overall win Tadej Pogacar finished third, 12 seconds down on Vingegaard for his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team.
Pogacar, 27, is looking to try to become the equal most successful rider in the Tour's history, alongside Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
On a hot evening in Barcelona for the Tour's Catalonia-based Grand Depart, the race's first team time trial for seven years saw teams ride in a 'chain' formation to establish the quickest time through the city by protecting their lead rider from the wind resistance - with each squad's seven support riders eventually peeling off to let their team leader cross the line alone.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tadej Pogačar will start his quest for a record-equaling fifth Tour de France **** le when the race kicks off in neighboring Spain on Saturday.
The elite Grand Tour begins with a team time trial in Barcelona, an opening stage which will take riders past the city’s famous Sagrada Familia basilica and finish with a short climb up a hill overlooking the popular tourist destination.
Pogačar is the overall favorite thanks to his Tour victories in 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025, as well as his strong form this year.
The Slovenian sensation is aiming to join the select crowd of Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as the only riders to have won cycling's most prestigious race on five occasions.
Jonas Vingegaard is once again his biggest challenger. The Dane took home the yellow jersey in 2022 and 2023 and is aiming to complete the men’s Giro-Tour double.

Choosing between Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) means deciding whether you prefer a pure-play pharmaceutical company trading at a deep discount or a diversified giant with higher growth.
While both operate within the same broader sector, their business models differ significantly. Bristol Myers focuses heavily on drug development for serious diseases, while Johnson & Johnson splits its attention between medicine and medical devices. Let's compare them and weigh their specific risks and financial health.
Bristol Myers operates as a major player in the pharmaceutical stocks **** e, focusing on oncology, hematology, and immunology. The company sells its innovative medicines primarily to wholesalers and specialty pharmacies, relying on established distribution channels for top products like Opdivo and Eliquis. Key commercial alliances with Merck (NYSE:MRK) and BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) help Bristol Myers expand its reach in specialized therapeutic areas.
In fiscal 2025, revenue reached nearly $48.2 billion, reflecting a slight decrease of approximately 0.2% compared to the previous year. The company reported net income of roughly $7.1 billion during this period, resulting in a net margin of approximately 14.6%. This was a significant recovery from the prior fiscal year, when Bristol Myers recorded a substantial net loss following specific business shifts.
As of its December 2025 balance sheet, the debt-to-equity ratio is roughly 2.6. This figure, which compares total debt to the value of shareholder equity, suggests a higher reliance on borrowed funds. The current ratio, which measures the company's ability to cover short-term debts with current **** ets, is approximately 1.3, while free cash flow reached nearly $12.8 billion.

PARIS (AP) — Tadej Pogačar has never appeared stronger as he stands on the verge of joining the ranks of the Tour de France’ s greatest champions.
The two-time world champion has crushed his rivals this season, across all terrains. That's primed Pogačar to chase a record-equaling fifth Tour victory starting on Saturday in Barcelona.
The only four riders to have won five Tours are Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault.
American rider Lance Armstrong won seven Tours from 1999-2005 but was stripped of them for participating in a systemic doping program.
Pogačar's insatiable thirst for winning has drawn comparisons with Merckx, widely regarded as the greatest of all time. Some observers believe the 27-year-old from Slovenia could eventually surpass Merckx’s records from the 1960s and 70s.

When does Tour de France 2026 start? Stage 1 location, time, TV channel, live stream to watch cycling race originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Cycling's signature event is nearly here, with the start of the 2026 Tour de France just days away.
With the spring classics, the Giro d'Italia and several one-week tours already in the books, July will as always put the focus squarely on the race for the most coveted jersey in the sport. The grueling three-week test begins in Spain this year before winding to its conclusion on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
Two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar enters this year's Tour as the favorite as he goes for his fifth win overall. If he can add another yellow jersey to those he won the last two years and in 2020 and 2021, the Slovenian would join the ranks of the Tour legends with five to their name: Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
His top challenger figures to be the man who interrupted his run with wins in 2022 and 2023, Jonas Vingegaard. The Danish star wrapped up his first Giro ***** le about a month ago, making him the eighth rider to win all three grand tours.

We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Weight Loss Drug Stocks to Buy in 2026. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is one of the best weight loss drugs on this list.
TheFly reported on June 18 that MRK announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an expanded approval for Capvaxive, extending its use to children and adolescents between 2 and 17 years old. The updated indication applies to pediatric patients who have completed their initial pneumococcal vaccination series and have chronic health conditions that increase their vulnerability to pneumococcal disease. With this authorization, Capvaxive becomes the only pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in the United States specifically evaluated and approved for this patient group.
In another major operational breakthrough, on June 12, Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX, its anti-PD-1 therapies, in combination with WELIREG for the adjuvant treatment of adults with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) at an increased risk of recurrence after surgery. The approval marks the first use of WELIREG in earlier-stage ccRCC and the first authorization of a PD-1 and HIF-2α inhibitor combination therapy. The decision was supported by results from the Phase 3 LITESPARK-022 trial, which showed the combination reduced the risk of recurrence, metastasis, or death by 28% compared with KEYTRUDA plus placebo in eligible patients.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is a global healthcare company expanding its obesity pipeline through early-stage GLP-1 and dual agonist therapies. While it lacks a marketed weight-loss drug, its metabolic research and strong pharmaceutical portfolio make it a potential long-term obesity market contender.
While we acknowledge the potential of MRK as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

We recently published Jim Cramer Didn't Hold Back On ******* eX's IPO & Discussed These 12 Stocks. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is one of the stocks discussed by Jim Cramer.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)'s shares are up by 53% over the past year and by 15% year-to-date. Leerink Partners discussed the firm on May 13th as it upgraded the shares to Outperform from Market Perform and raised the share price target to $265 from $252. The financial firm commented that Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)'s new drugs will inject momentum into the firm's revenue growth and share price performance. Cramer has also discussed the firm's drugs on several occasions over the past couple of months. For instance, in his Mad Money appearance on May 29th, the CNBC TV host compared Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) to Merck and commented that "Merck's cancer dominance has been challenged of late by JNJ." In this tweet, he commented on the firm's recent share price performance, which has seen Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)'s shares gain 7.7% over the past month, in the context of illiquidity in the market:
"illiquidity =insane health care gains like Cardinal and JNJ"
Emilio100 / Shutterstock.com
Here is what Cramer said about Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) on his April 24th appearance on Mad Money:

June 15 (Reuters) - Global drugmakers have been ramping up U.S. manufacturing and stockpiling inventory as the Trump administration moves to impose 100% tariffs on branded drugs unless companies cut prices or make medicines domestically.
Although enforcement is delayed for companies investing in U.S. manufacturing, the policy has already prompted fast-tracked projects, price cuts and direct-to-consumer sales.
Pfizer and AstraZeneca secured multi-year tariff exemptions through pricing deals and commitments to the new TrumpRx.gov platform. Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson and Merck have ‌pledged billions to expand U.S. operations to avoid penalties.
Here's what drugmakers are doing to mitigate supply-chain risks and reassure investors:
Pfizer

SELLAS Life Sciences Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SLS) was one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar on Mad Money as he explained that many investors might be missing out on the market’s biggest winners. Responding to a caller’s question about the company, Cramer stated:
Oh, this life science company that is, look, okay, so this is a good example. This stock’s up a great deal, alright? And you know, it’s losing a little money. It’s a great spec, and even though it’s up, I used to say, you know, I can’t touch it. I used to say that. I can’t do that right now, I can’t. I’m going to say two thumbs up or whatever to SLS. It. It’s that kind of market.
Photo by Yiorgos Ntrahas on Unsplash
SELLAS Life Sciences Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SLS) is a clinical-stage company focused on creating new treatments for cancer, specifically targeting the disease with its main product candidates, galinpepimut-S and SLS009. To advance these treatments forward, the company partners with major names like Merck, GenFleet Therapeutics, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for clinical trials and development.
While we acknowledge the potential of SLS as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

Eddy Merckx a 80 ans. Le Matador ne peut pas dormir sur ses deux oreilles lors du Tour de France 1971

Merck Showcases Innovation in Advanced Cancers and Rare Tumors at ASCO 2025 http://dlvr.it/TKx42n

http://dlvr.it/TKx42n