** Shares of drugmaker Merck MRK.N fall 2.7% to $81.83 premarket
** Co reports Q2 adj EPS of $2.13, down 7% from a year earlier
** MRK posts Q2 revenue of $15.81 bln, down 2% year-over-year, hurt by weak demand for its human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil in China
** MRK reports Gardasil sales of $1.1 billion in the quarter, below analysts' expectations of $1.3 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG
** Co also announced layoffs and cost cuts, which are expected to achieve $3 billion in annual savings by the end of 2027
** Co narrows full-year revenue forecast to a range of $64.3 bln to $65.3 bln vs previous range of $64.1 bln to $65.6 bln
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru)
((Mariam.ESunny@thomsonreuters.com;))
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