Merck Broadens Patient Support and Assistance Programs as Part of Overall COVID-19 Relief Efforts

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April 21, 2020 6:45 am ET

Support is Available for Eligible U.S. Patients Who Have Lost Their Jobs and Health Insurance Coverage Due to the Pandemic

KENILWORTH, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Recognizing the changing needs of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada, today announced it is taking a number of new steps to support patients in the United States who may have lost their jobs and insurance coverage.

First, Merck will continue to ensure access to Merck medicines at no cost for eligible patients through its Merck Patient Assistance Program – one of the first of its kind in the U.S. – created 60 years ago based on the company’s belief that no one should go without the medicines or vaccines they need. The Merck Patient Assistance Program is making a number of changes to help patients who have lost their job or cannot get into their doctor’s office during this crisis, including assessing patients’ real-time financial situations, providing assistance with expiring enrollments, and offering new options to collect signatures on enrollment forms. The long-running Merck Patient Assistance Program has helped more than 700,000 eligible patients receive their Merck medicines at no cost since 2017 and these enhancements have been made to help patients experiencing unique difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Merck will also be making changes to other U.S. access and assistance programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a temporary $0 co-pay for certain products for eligible privately insured patients who are enrolled in the Merck Access Program. In addition, our company has, where appropriate, relaxed certain refill restrictions related to coupon use, and all existing coupon programs remain available to privately insured eligible patients.*

“As a company whose mission is to save and improve lives, Merck remains deeply committed to ensuring that our medicines and vaccines reach the patients who need them, without interruption,” said Dr. Julie L. Gerberding, chief patient officer, Merck. “George W. Merck’s challenge to us to never forget that medicines are for the people is always in our minds, and at this challenging time for our patients and our communities, we want to do even more to help.”

To learn more about resources Merck has available for patients who need help during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, call 1-800-672-6372 or visit our information page on Merck.com.

Merck’s Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Merck is focused on protecting the safety of its employees and their families, ensuring that our supply of medicines and vaccines reach our patients, contributing our scientific expertise to the development of antiviral approaches, and supporting our healthcare providers and our communities. To date, Merck has contributed or committed more than $13 million to COVID-19 relief efforts. This support has included donations of medicines, protective personal equipment (PPE) donations for health care providers and funding to relief organizations. In addition, the company aims to provide a donation to independent charitable patient assistance foundations supporting eligible U.S. patients who may be having trouble paying for any of their medications. To learn more, please visit www.merck.com/COVID-19.

About Merck

For more than 125 years, Merck, 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 in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. 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 the recent global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); 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 2019 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).

*Maximum savings are limited. Not valid for patients who are uninsured or patients with Medicare or other Government Program insurance. Other eligibility restrictions and Terms and Conditions apply. See each product website for full Terms and Conditions.