Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Encourages Merck & Co (MRK) Investors To Inquire About Securities Fraud Class Action

Business Wire 21-Feb-2025 12:00 PM

Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased Merck & Co ("Merck" or the "Company") (NYSE: MRK) securities between February 3, 2022, to February 3, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Merck investors have until April 14, 2025 to file a lead plaintiff motion.

IF YOU ARE AN INVESTOR WHO SUFFERED A LOSS IN MERCK & CO (MRK), CONTACT THE LAW OFFICES OF HOWARD G. SMITH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ONGOING SECURITIES FRAUD LAWSUIT.

Contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss your legal rights by email at howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com, by telephone at (215) 638-4847 or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com.

What Happened?

On July 30, 2024, Merck released its second quarter 2024 financial report and disclosed a significant reduction in Gardasil vaccinations, resulting in an overabundance of inventory at Merck's Chinese distributor. The Company announced that its shipments of Gardasil to China may fall below contracted levels for 2024.

On this news, Merck's stock price fell $12.53, or 9.8%, to close at $115.25 per share on July 30, 2024, thereby injuring investors.

Then, on February 4, 2025, Merck disclosed that it would entirely cease shipments of Gardasil to China "through at least midyear" to facilitate a "rapid reduction of inventory," citing a continued over-inflation of channel inventories as demand in China had "not recovered to the level [the Company] had expected." Merck also announced that it would no longer achieve its long-forecasted $11 billion in sales of Gardasil by 2030.

On this news, Merck's stock price fell $9.05, or 9.1%, to close at $90.74 per share on February 4, 2025, thereby injuring investors further.

What Is The Lawsuit About?

The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that Merck lacked visibility into demand for Gardasil in China among eligible and otherwise targeted populations, resulting in the inflated inventory of its distributor; and (2) as a result, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

Contact Us To Participate or Learn More:

If you purchased Merck securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact us:

Law Offices of Howard G. Smith 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112 Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 Telephone: (215) 638-4847 Email: howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com Visit our website at: www.howardsmithlaw.com.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

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Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Howard G. Smith, Esquire 215-638-4847 howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com www.howardsmithlaw.com