Merck & Co.'s Subcutaneous Keytruda Launch Blocked in Eight European Markets Amid Patent Dispute

MT Newswires · 1d ago
11:16 AM EDT, 10/07/2026 (MT Newswires) -- A specialized Dutch patent court ordered Merck & Co. (6MK.F) to halt the launch of the subcutaneous formulation of its cancer drug Keytruda in eight European markets, in relation to a patent infringement case filed by Halozyme Therapeutics. The court in The Hague, Netherlands, found Merck to be infringing upon one of Halozyme's MDASE technology patents, according to a Wednesday release. It granted Halozyme an injunction blocking Merck from manufacturing and selling the subcutaneous version of Keytruda in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. The court's injunction order does not include the intravenous formulation of the drug, which Halozyme said is not covered by its patent. Halozyme also has a separate lawsuit against Merck in the US for patent infringement, alleging that the drug's subcutaneous version infringes 15 of its MDASE technology patents.