# Merck’s $1B Agentic AI Bet Is Also a $29.5B Hedge Against Disaster

- slug: mercks-1b-agentic-ai-bet-is-also-a-295b-hedge-against-disaster
- date: 2026-04-22
- category: Agentics

Merck is betting $1 billion that AI agents can replace the revenue engine it loses when Keytruda's patent expires in 2028. That's not a technology story. That's a desperate company making the highest-stakes bet in pharma.

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