Merck Shares Environmental, Social & Governance Priorities and Strategy

Leadership to Outline Merck’s Vision to Drive Long-Term Business Value through ESG

Virtual Investor Event to Begin at 10:00 a.m. EST

KENILWORTH, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$MRK #MERCK–Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, will hold a virtual Investor Event hosted by members of its senior management team to discuss Merck’s Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) priorities today beginning at 10:00 a.m. EST.

The event will outline the company’s long-term ESG strategy focused on four priority areas – Access to Health, Employees, Environmental Sustainability and Ethics & Values – and how this strategy is fundamental to Merck’s long-term business value and success.

Merck’s ESG strategy and the company’s stated ESG goals regarding health equity and access, diversity and carbon neutrality are aligned to the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Senior management presentations will discuss the company’s ESG strategy and performance, and how ESG is at the core of Merck’s purpose to save and improve lives.

Investors, analysts, members of the media and the general public are invited to listen to the webcast of the presentation at Merck & Co., Inc. ESG Event – Merck.com. There will be a Q&A panel session with the senior management team following the prepared remarks.

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. 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).

Contacts

Media Contacts:

Melissa Moody

(215) 407-3536

Johanna Herrmann

(617) 216-6029

Investor Contacts:

Peter Dannenbaum

(908) 740-1037

Steven Graziano

(908) 740-6582