Merck Publishes Annual Corporate Responsibility Report
November 2, 2017 9:00 am ET
Report Highlights New Environmental Sustainability Goals and Impact on Global Health
Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada,
today published its
2016/2017
Corporate Responsibility Report. The report reflects the company’s
performance in the areas of Access to Health, Employees, Environmental
Sustainability and Ethics & Transparency.
“We continue to push the boundaries of science with the hope and
expectation that our innovative solutions will lead to better health for
generations to come,” said Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman and chief
executive officer, Merck. “That same commitment to overcoming the
world’s greatest health challenges extends to how we operate as a
responsible company — building a sustainable business that contributes
to a healthier world.”
The report highlights the progress Merck has made toward creating social
and economic value for the company and its stakeholders. The report also
highlights the company’s new environmental sustainability goals and its
continuing support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), the international community’s aspirations for improving the
lives of the world’s poorest people by 2030.
Additional highlights from the report include how Merck is:
-
Addressing 88 percent of the top 20 global burdens of disease with our
products and pipeline, including cancer, HIV, diabetes and Alzheimer’s
disease; -
Improving access to quality maternal health care and family planning
services for nearly six million women around the world through
Merck
for Mothers
, our 10-year, $500 million global
initiative to end preventable maternal deaths; -
Working to achieve 12
new environmental sustainability goals to manage the impact of our
operations, supply chain, products and packaging; -
Increasing our use of diverse suppliers by nearly 60 percent
throughout 2016, totaling more than $1 billion with companies owned by
members of minority groups, women, veterans and individuals who are
disabled or identify as LGBT; -
Continuing to develop a more
diverse and inclusive workforce: in 2016, more than half of our
new hires worldwide were women, and in the United States, 37 percent
were from under-represented groups.
The company continues to use several external guidelines and measurement
frameworks to inform the scope of its reporting, including the GRI
Sustainability Reporting Standards, the Sustainable Development Goals,
the Access to Medicine Index and the United Nations Global Compact.
Learn more about Merck’s approach to Corporate Responsibility and
progress on key initiatives in the
2016/2017
Corporate Responsibility Report.
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.,
U.S.A.
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A. (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. There can be no guarantees with
respect to pipeline products that the products will receive the
necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be
commercially successful. 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).
For Merck:
Media:
Doris Li, 908-740-1903
or
Jeanine Clemente, 908-740-6268
or
Investors:
Teri Loxam, 908-740-1986
or
Amy Klug, 908-740-1898
