Merck Sharp & Dohme
Merck Sharp & Dohme sponsors 558 registered US clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov, 120 of them currently recruiting, and 320 completed. 191 of these trials are in Phase 3-4 (later-stage) and 360 in Phase 1-2 (earlier-stage). The most-studied condition in this pipeline is Healthy, with 25 trials.
Trial Pipeline
558 total, page 8 of 12
Perioperative Enfortumab Vedotin (EV) Plus Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Versus Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Cisplatin-Eligible Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (MIBC) (MK-3475-B15/ KEYNOTE-B15 / EV-304)
NCT04700124
Pembrolizumab/Vibostolimab Coformulation (MK-7684A) or Pembrolizumab/Vibostolimab Coformulation Plus Docetaxel Versus Docetaxel for Metastatic Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) With Progressive Disease After Platinum Doublet Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy (MK-7684A-002, KEYVIBE-002)
NCT04725188
Coformulation of Pembrolizumab/Vibostolimab (MK-7684A) Versus Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Monotherapy for Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand 1 (PD-L1) Positive Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (MK-7684A-003, KEYVIBE-003)
NCT04738487
Efficacy and Safety of Clesrovimab (MK-1654) in Infants (MK-1654-004)
NCT04767373
Study of Lenvatinib (MK-7902/E7080) in Combination With Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Versus Standard of Care in Participants With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (MK-7902-017/E7080-G000-325/LEAP-017)
NCT04776148
Cognition Platform Study in Participants at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) (MK-0000-413)
NCT04730635
A Study to Investigate the Influence of Hepatic Impairment on Elpipodect (MK-8189) Treatment (MK-8189-012)
NCT04676425
Safety and Efficacy of Coformulated Pembrolizumab/Quavonlimab (MK-1308A) in Combination With Lenvatinib (E7080/MK-7902) in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma (MK-1308A-004)
NCT04740307
Oral Islatravir (MK-8591) Once-Monthly as Preexposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in Men and Transgender Women Who Are at High Risk for HIV-1 Infection (MK-8591-024)
NCT04652700
Dose Ranging, Switch Study of Islatravir (MK-8591) and Ulonivirine (MK-8507) Once-Weekly in Virologically-Suppressed Adults With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) [MK-8591-013]
NCT04564547
Oral ISL QM as PrEP in Cisgender Women at High Risk for HIV-1 Infection (MK-8591-022)
NCT04644029
Pembrolizumab Plus Lenvatinib for First-line Advanced/Metastatic Non-clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (1L nccRCC) (MK-3475-B61)
NCT04704219
MK-1942/Donepezil Interactions in Participants With Alzheimer's Disease (MK-1942-005)
NCT04308304
Study of a Single Intravenous (IV) Dose of MK-3402 in Participants With Impaired Renal Function and in Healthy Controls (MK-3402-004)
NCT04678505
Efficacy and Safety of Elpipodect (MK-8189) in Participants With an Acute Episode of Schizophrenia (MK-8189-008)
NCT04624243
Doravirine/Islatravir (DOR/ISL) in Pediatric Participants With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Who Are <18 Years of Age and Weigh ≥35 kg (MK-8591A-028)
NCT04295772
A Study of MK-3655 in Individuals With Pre-cirrhotic Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) (MK-3655-001)
NCT04583423
Single-Dose Islatravir in Moderate Hepatic Impairment (MK-8591-030)
NCT04515641
Dose Ranging Trial to Assess Safety and Immunogenicity of V590 (COVID-19 Vaccine) in Healthy Adults (V590-001)
NCT04569786
A Study of Gebasaxturev (V937) in Combination With Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in Participants With Advanced/Metastatic Solid Tumors (V937-013)
NCT04521621
A Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Plus Carboplatin and Paclitaxel as First-line Treatment of Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (MK-3475-B10/KEYNOTE B10)
NCT04489888
Efficacy and Safety of Molnupiravir (MK-4482) in Non-Hospitalized Adult Participants With COVID-19 (MK-4482-002)
NCT04575597
Efficacy and Safety of Molnupiravir (MK-4482) in Hospitalized Adult Participants With COVID-19 (MK-4482-001)
NCT04575584
Islatravir and Methadone Pharmacokinetics (MK-8591-029)
NCT04568603
Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics Study of Elpipodect (MK-8189) in Participants With Schizophrenia and Healthy Participants (MK-8189-011)
NCT04506905
Gluten Challenge Study in Celiac Disease Participants (MK-0000-402)
NCT04054544
A Study to Assess Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of V591 (COVID-19 Vaccine) in Healthy Participants (V591-001)
NCT04498247
Efficacy and Safety of Olaparib (MK-7339) With or Without Bevacizumab Compared to Bevacizumab With a Fluoropyrimidine in Unresectable or Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (CRC) (MK-7339-003/LYNK-003)
NCT04456699
Lenvatinib (E7080/MK-7902) in Combination With Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) vs. Standard Chemotherapy and Lenvatinib Monotherapy in Participants With Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma That Progressed After Platinum Therapy and Immunotherapy (MK-7902-009/E7080-G000-228/LEAP-009)
NCT04428151
A Study of Lenvatinib (MK-7902) in Pediatric Participants With Relapsed or Refractory Solid Malignancies (MK-7902-013/E7080)
NCT04447755
Posaconazole (MK-5592) Intravenous and Oral in Children With Invasive Aspergillosis (IA) (MK-5592-104)
NCT04218851
Substudy 02A: Safety and Efficacy of Pembrolizumab in Combination With Investigational Agents in Participants With Programmed Cell-death 1 (PD-1) Refractory Melanoma (MK-3475-02A/KEYMAKER-U02)
NCT04305041
Substudy 02C: Safety and Efficacy of Pembrolizumab in Combination With Investigational Agents or Pembrolizumab Alone in Participants With Stage III Melanoma Who Are Candidates for Neoadjuvant Therapy (MK-3475-02C/KEYMAKER-U02)
NCT04303169
Pharmacokinetics of Islatravir in Participants With Severe Renal Impairment (MK-8591-026)
NCT04303156
Frespaciguat (MK-5475) in Participants With Pulmonary Hypertension Associated With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (PH-COPD) (MK-5475-006)
NCT04370873
Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Gebasaxturev (V937) Administered Intravenously or Intratumorally With Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Versus Pembrolizumab Alone in Participants With Advanced/Metastatic Melanoma (V937-011)
NCT04152863
Efficacy and Safety of Gefapixant (MK-7264) in Adult Participants With Recent Onset Chronic Cough (MK-7264-043)
NCT04193202
Study of Chemoradiotherapy With or Without Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) For The Treatment of Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer (MK-3475-A18/KEYNOTE-A18/ENGOT-cx11/GOG-3047)
NCT04221945
Efficacy and Safety of Gefapixant (MK-7264) in Women With Chronic Cough and Stress Urinary Incontinence (MK-7264-042)
NCT04193176
Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Ceftolozane/Tazobactam in Pediatric Participants With Nosocomial Pneumonia (MK-7625A-036)
NCT04223752
Doravirine/Islatravir (DOR/ISL) in Heavily Treatment-Experienced (HTE) Participants for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Infection (MK-8591A-019)
NCT04233216
Study of Intratumoral (IT) Ulevostinag (MK-1454) in Combination With Intravenous (IV) Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) Compared to IV Pembrolizumab Alone as the First Line Treatment of Metastatic or Unresectable, Recurrent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) (MK-1454-002)
NCT04220866
Study of Doravirine/Islatravir (DOR/ISL 100 mg/0.75 mg) to Evaluate the Antiretroviral Activity, Safety, and Tolerability in Treatment-Naïve Participants With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Infection (MK-8591A-020)
NCT04233879
Switch to Doravirine/Islatravir (DOR/ISL) in Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) Participants Treated With Bictegravir/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF) (MK-8591A-018)
NCT04223791
Safety and Efficacy of a Switch to Doravirine/Islatravir in Participants With HIV-1 (MK-8591A-017)
NCT04223778
A Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) With or Without Lenvatinib (E7080/MK-7902) as First Line (1L) Intervention in a Programmed Cell Death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) Selected Population With Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) (MK-7902-010) (KEYNOTE-010)
NCT04199104
KEYMAKER-U01 Substudy 3: Efficacy and Safety Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) When Used With Investigational Agents in Participants With Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Previously Treated With Anti-programmed Cell Death Receptor Ligand 1 (PD-L1) Therapy (MK-3475-01C/KEYMAKER-U01C)
NCT04165096
Study of Olaparib Plus Pembrolizumab Versus Chemotherapy Plus Pembrolizumab After Induction With First-Line Chemotherapy Plus Pembrolizumab in Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) (MK-7339-009/KEYLYNK-009)
NCT04191135
KEYMAKER-U01 Substudy 2: Efficacy and Safety Study of Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) When Used With Investigational Agents in Treatment-naïve Participants With Anti-programmed Cell Death Receptor Ligand 1 (PD-L1) Positive Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) (MK-3475-01B/KEYMAKER-U01B)
NCT04165083
A Phase 1/Phase 2 Study of Polyvalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (V116) in Adults (V116-001)
NCT04168190
Phase Distribution
| Phase | Trial count |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 230 |
| Phase 2 | 130 |
| Phase 3 | 173 |
| Phase 4 | 18 |
Therapeutic Areas
What the Pipeline for Merck Sharp & Dohme Shows
According to the ClinicalTrials.gov registry, Merck Sharp & Dohme is linked to 558 US clinical trials across every stage of research activity. Of those, 120 studies are currently recruiting, about 22% of the sponsor's indexed portfolio, and 320 are already marked complete, representing roughly 57% of the total.
The phase mix for Merck Sharp & Dohme reports 191 late-stage studies (Phase 3 and Phase 4 combined) and 360 earlier-phase studies (Phase 1 and Phase 2).
The top therapeutic focus area indexed for Merck Sharp & Dohme is Healthy with 25 linked trials, and 9 other condition areas appear in the top list above.
How to read these pipeline numbers
Recruiting share is one of the more practical signals here: it reflects how much of a sponsor's research is presently open to new participants, while the completed share indicates the depth of finished work that has already contributed registry results. Both counts come directly from the public ClinicalTrials.gov dataset and are refreshed on the registry side; this page mirrors the latest data pull without altering it.
A portfolio weighted toward Phase 3 usually reflects an organization advancing candidates toward regulatory review, where the research centers on comparative efficacy and broader safety across larger populations. A heavier Phase 1 and Phase 2 tilt generally indicates exploratory work, safety, dosing, and early signal detection, and is common among research-forward sponsors that seed many early programs. Phase 4 entries, when present, track interventions already in real-world use and typically focus on long-term safety, effectiveness across subgroups, or formulation comparisons.
That distribution is a quick read of where the organization concentrates its research attention; it does not imply product availability, market share, or any clinical endorsement. All numbers on this page come from ClinicalTrials.gov maintained by the National Library of Medicine, and counts can shift as new studies are registered or existing ones update their status. This information is provided for reference and educational purposes only, not as medical, investment, or regulatory advice, verify current details directly with ClinicalTrials.gov before relying on any figure here.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Every figure on PlainTrial is rendered directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov registry, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates every registered trial from this sponsor, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.