By Mariam Sunny and Michael Erman

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Merck ( MRK ) said on Monday it

expects a commercial opportunity exceeding $5 billion from

Cidara Therapeutics' ( CDTX ) experimental flu drug, and does

not anticipate it to require a review by the U.S. CDC's vaccine

advisory panel before launch.

The U.S. drugmaker announced a nearly $9.2 billion deal last

week to acquire Cidara, aiming to gain access to its long-acting

antiviral, CD388, currently in late-stage trial.

CD388 is not a vaccine and is designed to be effective

regardless of a person's immune status and could offer

single-dose, universal protection against all flu strains.

Vaccine policy in the United States has been undergoing a

shift under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime

vaccine skeptic, who has revamped the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention's panel of outside advisers and prompted

the ouster of its director.

"I would not say that our view of what is happening around

vaccinations has in any way affected either our view of

vaccinations or what drove us to this (drug)," Merck ( MRK ) CEO Robert

Davis said during a call with analysts.

Merck ( MRK ) expects about 110 million Americans to be eligible to

receive CD388, including 85 million considered at high risk for

influenza. It plans to manufacture the drug long-term at one of

its U.S. facilities.

The company said it expects Cidara's acquisition to reduce

earnings by about 30 cents per share over the first 12 months

from the deal's closing, reflecting investments to advance CD388

and the assumed cost of financing.

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.