Merck Medical Outreach Program
The Merck Medical Outreach Program (MMOP) was established over 65 years ago to help provide lifesaving medicines and vaccines to those in need.
We care about communities in need
The MMOP is the primary means through which the company donates its pharmaceuticals and vaccines for humanitarian assistance in the developing world and in support of disaster relief worldwide.
Managed by the company’s Office of Social Impact and Sustainability, the MMOP helps expand access to our products, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Through this program, we donate pharmaceuticals and vaccines to a limited number of qualified, U.S.-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners. The scope of the program varies from year to year and is influenced by changing medical needs, the quantity of our medicines available for donation, and the unpredictable nature of emergencies or disasters.
Donations of our medicines are made primarily through qualified NGOs and follow World Health Organization guidelines for drug donations. Our partners have a long-standing relationship with the company, demonstrate integrity of purpose, provide assurance that our products will be securely warehoused, and have well-established programs in LMICs. They are:
We're a member of the Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD), an alliance of NGOs and medical product manufacturers dedicated to raising the standards of medical donations in order to meet the needs of underserved populations and disaster victims around the world. Members of PQMD are committed to bringing measurable health impact by setting quality standards, disseminating knowledge and influencing policy.
The donations of our medicines and vaccines provide immediate and ongoing assistance to those affected by natural or manmade disasters and crises around the world. We support our partners' emergency preparedness and health system strenthening initiatives, and supply medical aid to hundreds of thousands of people in need through our partner NGOs' disaster response and ongoing medical programs.
Our product donation program enables our NGO partners to provide local health care workers in LMICs the medications they need to treat chronic conditions and acute diseases through community health services worldwide.
How we support our NGO partners
Annual Allotment program
Each year, participating NGOs can order long-dated medicines and vaccines of their choice from the company’s current product line, up to an annually authorized amount. Through this approach, the partners can receive a sustained and predictable supply of needed medicines, crucial to the effective planning of their ongoing humanitarian programs.
Ongoing donations
Donations of our pharmaceuticals and vaccines are made throughout the year in response to requests from our partners to address additional needs of specific programs around the world. We also offer products to our partners proactively, based on available supply, for use in their ongoing humanitarian programs.
Disaster and emergency relief
Through the MMOP we donate pharmaceuticals and vaccines in response to, or in preparation for, major disasters and emergency recovery efforts. We respond to those requests based on the relief agency’s firsthand assessment of need. We also may provide financial support for our NGO partners’ disaster-relief efforts when appropriate.
Excess products
MMOP donates excess pharmaceuticals and vaccines to our NGO partners on an ad hoc basis.
Capacity-building
Beyond donated medicines, we seek ways to support our NGO partner organizations by providing financial assistance. Our company awards yearly operational cash grants to assist with shipping and logistics associated with the annual allotment of product donations for their ongoing health and humanitarian programs.
