Merck Wants to Do More Multi Tens of Billion-Dollar Deals

Merck & Co. wants to strike more deals, seeing an opportunity for “multi tens of billion”-dollar acquisitions.

“We are not limited from a balance sheet — it’s more where do we see strategic opportunity,” Chief Executive Officer Rob Davis said at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.

The comments come amid speculation that Merck is in talks to buy cancer drugmaker Revolution Medicines Inc. The Financial Times reported last week, citing a person familiar, that the price tag being discussed was between $28 billion and $32 billion.

Merck is seeking deals to expand its portfolio of treatments as it ...