The JAMA Network and Merck Announce Strategic Collaboration

Selected JAMA Network Videos, Articles, and Abstracts are Now Available on Merck’s Medical Education and Information Web Sites


CHICAGO, - Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and The JAMA Network today announced a new collaboration to enhance the medical information available on Merck Medicus and Univadis, Merck’s medical information and education Web sites, and to expand The JAMA Network’s global reach.

Merck Medicus is the medical education and health information Web site from Merck for health care professionals in the United States. Univadis is the medical education and health information Web site from MSD for health care professionals in 36 counties outside the United States. The JAMA Network features JAMA and nine specialty journals published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

Through this collaboration, selected abstracts, articles and author videos fromJAMAand the nine specialty journals available on The JAMA Network will also be available through Merck Medicus and Univadis. Starting this year, these materials will be available in English, Mandarin, French, Italian and Spanish. Brazilian, German, Portuguese and Japanese language translations will be added in 2013.

This collaboration is consistent with the commitment of The JAMA Network and Merck Medicus and Univadis to provide unbiased medical information to health care professionals in the United States and around the world. JAMA will have editorial control over the selection and production of the abstracts and videos that will be featured on Merck Medicus and Univadis. Downloads of related full-text articles will also be available on those Web sites.

“With the enormous variety of medical content now available online, it has never been more important for health care professionals to have timely access to trustworthy and unbiased health information. We are delighted to collaborate with The JAMA Network to bring even more robust, comprehensive, independent medical information to physicians worldwide on Merck Medicus and Univadis. Merck takes great pride in continuing our century-long legacy of providing unbiased medical education and information" said Sethu Reddy, M.D., MBA, vice president, U.S. Medical Affairs, Merck.

“This is an exciting opportunity to expand the global reach of The JAMA Network,” said Howard Bauchner, M.D., editor-in-chief ofJAMA. "We are publishing some of the best medical research in the world, and this collaboration provides a way for the scientific information from The JAMA Network to reach a broader audience, including international physicians and health care professionals for whom English is not their primary language. The addition of the JAMA Network author videos is an effective way for physicians to hear directly from the researchers who concisely summarize their studies. The translations will help bring that information to a wider audience.”

About Merck Medicus and Univadis

Merck Medicus is the medical education and health information Web site from Merck for health care professionals in the United States. Univadis is the medical education and health information Web site from MSD for health care professionals in 36 counties outside the United States. Offering high quality, independent and trusted medical content, Merck Medicus and Univadis are leading portals for health care professionals, featuring breaking medical news, peer reviewed online education courses, 2D and 3D anatomy tools, 60,000+ medical images and cutting‐edge resources specifically tailored to the needs of health care professionals in their medical specialty, all with no subscription or registration fees. Univadis is available in 15+ languages in 36 countries worldwide and currently has 1.7 Million registered users. Merck has been providing information to health care professionals for over 100 years through the Merck Manual, one of the most trusted sources of medical knowledge worldwide.

About Merck

Today’s Merck is a global healthcare leader working to help the world be well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and consumer care 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 healthcare through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

About The JAMA Network®

Building on a tradition of editorial excellence, The JAMA Network brings JAMA together with nine specialty journals to offer enhanced access to the research, viewpoints, and medical news shaping medicine today and into the future. Published continuously since 1883 by the American Medical Association, JAMA is one of the most widely circulated, peer-reviewed, general medical journals in the world.

Merck Forward-Looking Statement

This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the merger between Merck and Schering-Plough, including future financial and operating results, the combined company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Merck’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: the possibility that all of the expected synergies from the merger of Merck and Schering-Plough will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; Merck’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; dependence on the effectiveness of Merck’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation and/or regulatory actions.

Merck 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 Merck’s 2011 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).