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March 28, 2022 6:00 am ET

Updated: March 28, 2022

We are saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and we continue to stand united with the Ukrainian people. We hope for an urgent and peaceful resolution, and our paramount concerns are the safety and well-being of our employees and ensuring our patients and customers have continued access to medicines and vaccines needed for patient and public health.

For humanitarian reasons, Merck has a responsibility to continue supplying essential medicines and vaccines in Russia. Merck has saved and improved lives around the world for more than 130 years, and we remain committed to doing so. Any profits resulting from these sales will be donated to humanitarian causes. We will maintain scientific exchange of information with stakeholders in critical therapeutic areas. However, the company will not make further investments in Russia. This includes stopping all promotional activities, capital investments and business development initiatives. Additionally, screening and enrollment in ongoing clinical trials, and planning for new studies in Russia have been suspended. We are continuing to treat patients already enrolled in existing clinical trials and collect data from these studies underway, and we are working hard to ensure no patient is left behind. Merck does not have research or manufacturing facilities in Russia and is operating in compliance with all international sanctions while working to ensure continued access to essential medicines and vaccines.  

During this tragic time, Merck’s commitment to helping the people affected is unwavering. We are using our resources to help alleviate the human suffering in Ukraine. Merck and MSD are taking various actions to address the humanitarian crisis, which include the: 

• Delivery of molnupiravir to Ukraine through a supply and purchase agreement we have with the government.
• Donation of molnupiravir to Direct Relief for distribution to refugees. We are preparing to donate additional courses specifically for people affected by the invasion of Ukraine.
• Donation of product, including PROVENTIL, an inhaler used in patients with asthma, TIENAM IV (marketed as PRIMAXIN in the U.S.), an antibiotic used to treat infections in hospitalized patients, and KEYTRUDA for existing patients in need. We are actively assessing needs for additional products.
• Commitment of $1 million USD directed to humanitarian partners, American Red Cross, Direct Relief, International Medical Corps and Project HOPE, delivering urgent assistance to those affected in the region.
• Utilization of our donation program for U.S. and Puerto Rico employees to donate to Ukraine relief efforts. Contributions will be matched 100% by the company. Employees outside of the U.S. can receive a company match toward their donation to the Red Cross and Direct Relief, and the contribution will be matched 100% by the company.
• Donation of vaccines from Merck Animal Health to farmers in Ukraine to support the continued raising of livestock and food production. 

As of March 28, our total cash and product donations amount to more than $65 million USD.

Merck will continue to monitor this tragedy and update its response as this crisis unfolds. The focus now remains on supporting the well-being of our employees, doing what we can to ensure access to our medicines and vaccines, and further using our resources to alleviate the unimaginable human suffering in Ukraine.

About Merck

For over 130 years, Merck, known as MSD outside 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. 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 the 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 2020 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).