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October 12, 2017 12:00 pm ET

Merck’s Contribution Will Help Swim Across America Raise $100 Million for Cancer Research Over the Next Decade

Merck Employees to Conduct Their Own “Swim Across America” Starting in 2018

To help support innovation in cancer research, Merck (NYSE:MRK), known
as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the
company will make a $3 million charitable contribution to Swim
Across America. Established 30 years ago, Swim Across America, a
national nonprofit organization, was founded with the purpose of
granting the proceeds from its benefit swims to fund cancer research and
clinical trials.

“Every 15 minutes, 50 Americans are diagnosed with cancer,” said Rob
Butcher, CEO of Swim Across America. “The good news is that there is
hope for more Americans to become survivors than ever before, and Swim
Across America’s commitment to finding new cures and treatments has been
an important catalyst for that progress. We are going to apply Merck’s
contribution to better support our existing benefit swims and add new
ones with a goal of funding $100 million into cancer research and
clinical trials in the next decade.”

In further support of Merck’s mission of inventing for life, the company
will look to complete its own “swim across America” by establishing
Merck-sponsored teams at benefit swim events. Merck will kick off its
participation at the first 2018 Swim Across America event to be held in
Tampa, Florida.

“Merck is committed to advancing research and to giving more families
hope in the fight against cancer, and we know that that progress can
only come from many people and organizations doing their part,” said
Jill DeSimone, senior vice president, U.S. Oncology, Merck. “Swim Across
America has created a program that has inspired thousands of Americans,
including many Merck employees, to participate in their benefit swims
with the proceeds funding cancer research and clinical trials. We know
this contribution will help them do even more to fight cancer.”

Since its inception, Swim Across America has granted $70 million toward
cancer research. Additionally, more than 100 Olympians have donated
their time attending Swim Across America benefit swims and hospital
visits.

“I was at our first swim when we raised $5,000,” said Craig Beardsley, a
1980 Olympian and Swim Across America supporter of 30 years. “The Swim
Across America mission is a testimony to the human spirit of coming
together to try to solve a problem that has affected nearly everyone.
Merck’s contribution is going to allow us to speed up our ability to add
more swims so we can fund even more research projects.”

Swim Across America currently hosts benefit swims in Atlanta; Baltimore;
Boston; Charlotte, NC; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Greenwich, Conn.;
Kiawah, SC; Long Island, NY; Nantucket, Mass.; Rhode Island; San
Francisco; Seattle; St. Louis and Tampa, Fla.

Merck’s Focus on Cancer

Our goal is to translate breakthrough science into innovative oncology
medicines to help people with cancer worldwide. At Merck, helping people
fight cancer is our passion and supporting accessibility to our cancer
medicines is our commitment. Our focus is on pursuing research in
immuno-oncology and we are accelerating every step in the journey – from
lab to clinic – to potentially bring new hope to people with cancer. For
more information about our oncology clinical trials, visit www.merck.com/clinicaltrials.

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. 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:
Claire Mulhearn, 908-200-1889
or
Tracy Ogden, 908-740-1747