Merck says new growth opportunities to drive revenue of $70 billion by mid-2030s

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Merck said on Monday it ​has raised its ‌outlook for new growth drivers, ‌forecasting $70 billion in revenue from these fresh businesses by the mid-2030s, ⁠as ‌it accelerates the launch of additional drugs ‍ahead of looming competition to its blockbuster cancer ​therapy Keytruda.

The drugmaker now ‌expects cardiometabolic and respiratory treatments to generate about $20 billion in sales, up from a previous ⁠forecast of $15 ​billion, while infectious ​disease drugs are projected to contribute roughly $15 ‍billion, ⁠compared with an earlier estimate of $5 billion.

(Reporting ⁠by Chris Thomas in ‌Mexico City; Editing by ‌Sherry Jacob-Phillips)