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July 27, 2017 8:00 am ET

KENILWORTH, N.J. – Singer-songwriter and actress Mandy Moore is teaming up with Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, to launch Her Life. Her Adventures. to encourage women to plan ahead and get educated about family planning, including birth control options, so they can prepare for life’s adventures. The campaign, at HerLifeHerAdventures.com, highlights the importance of making a plan as women pursue their goals.

“My life has been full of so many adventures and through it all, setting long-term goals and having a plan has helped me get to where I am today,” said Moore. “I am excited to be a part of a campaign that touches upon an important topic for women. I hope that this campaign opens up a dialogue amongst women and their doctors about their family planning options and inspires them to continue the pursuit of their passions, whatever those may be.”

As part of the campaign, in 2017 Merck commissioned a national online survey of 2,013 adult women to understand their current priorities and life goals. Among those surveyed, financial stability (98%), emotional development (94%), relationship security (86%), and career growth (81%) were identified among their top priorities.

The survey also identified that for many, their current priorities did not include starting or growing a family (40% among those without children and 39% among those with children, respectively). Among the 908 birth control users surveyed, nearly one in four women considered their options for less than 15 minutes before making a decision. Her Life. Her Adventures. encourages women to talk to their doctor and learn about family planning and birth control options—including reversible, longer-term ones—that may be right for them so they can evaluate how family planning fits into their lives.

“When it comes to family planning, birth control can play an important role, so women should spend time considering all of their options,” said Dr. Pari Ghodsi of the San Fernando Valley at Northridge Hospital. “Currently, there is a wide range of birth control available, including reversible daily, non-daily, and longer-term options. It’s always part of the conversation I have with my patients, and it is important for all women to talk to their doctor to understand the risks and benefits of the available options that might be right for them.”

In fact, of the birth control users surveyed, most (67%) were interested in learning more about their birth control options from their healthcare professional, suggesting an opportunity for a more open dialogue in the doctor’s office about family planning.

“Merck is committed to supporting the health and well-being of women,” said Kathryn Hayward, associate vice president of primary care and women’s health at Merck. “Through the Her Life. Her Adventures. campaign, we hope to bring to life the importance of family planning and the importance of women having an informed discussion with their doctor about available birth control options.”

Visit HerLifeHerAdventures.com to learn more about the campaign, find helpful information and tips on planning ahead, and get involved by sharing your own life adventures. You can also join the Her Life. Her Adventures. community on Instagram and Facebook. 

About Unplanned Pregnancy

Consider this: in 2011, nearly half of all pregnancies in the U.S. were unplanned, oftentimes due to incorrect or inconsistent use of birth control. Any woman of reproductive age can have an unplanned pregnancy, it doesn’t only occur in teenagers. 

About Her Life. Her Adventures.

Her Life. Her Adventures. is an online community and resource, developed by Merck, to inspire women to plan for the long-term based on their priorities—whether it be career, finance, travel or anything in between. The campaign encourages women to talk to their doctor to evaluate how family planning and birth control fits into their lives.

Visit HerLifeHerAdventures.com to learn more and join the online community on Instagram and Facebook. 

About Merck

For more than a century, Merck, a leading global biopharmaceutical company known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and communities around the world – including cancer, cardio-metabolic diseases, emerging animal diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and infectious diseases including HIV and Ebola. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).

CONTACTS

Media Contacts:

Megan Wilkinson
(267) 305-6463

Carrie Rose
(201) 362-7883