Merck's GARDASIL and JANUVIA Receive Prix Galien USA Top Honors
Merck Products Named Best Biotechnology Product and Best Pharmaceutical Agent
Former Merck CEO P. Roy Vagelos, M.D., Receives Pro Bono Humanum Award
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., Sept. 27, 2007 - GARDASIL® [Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (Types 6, 11, 16, 18) Recombinant Vaccine], Merck's vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer, received the Prix Galien USA 2007 Award for Best Biotechnology product, Merck & Co., Inc. announced today. In addition, JANUVIA™ (sitagliptin), the Company's treatment of type 2 diabetes, received the 2007 Award for Best Pharmaceutical Agent. Both were presented at a ceremony in New York City on Sept. 25.
"We are thrilled that both GARDASIL and JANUVIA received top honors in their respective categories at this year's Prix Galien USA. We congratulate the hard working and dedicated teams who developed these two products," said Richard T. Clark, Merck's chairman, president and chief executive officer.
Former Merck CEO P. Roy Vagelos, M.D., was also honored at the ceremony with the prestigious Pro Bono Humanum Award in recognition of his dedication to improved global health through the campaign to eliminate river blindness (onchocerciasis) - a campaign that continues to receive Merck's full commitment and support.
"We also congratulate Dr. Vagelos on his well-deserved award. His timeless dedication to the elimination of river blindness is a goal Merck shares and to which we remain committed," Mr. Clark said.
Merck announced in 1987 it would donate MECTIZAN® (ivermectin) for the treatment of onchocerciasis, one of the leading causes of preventable blindness worldwide, to all who need it for as long as necessary until the disease is eliminated as a public health problem. Now in its 20th year, the program currently reaches more than 60 million people each year for the treatment of river blindness. In Africa, the program has contributed to enormous progress in greatly reducing skin disease and visual loss, preventing an estimated 40,000 cases of blindness annually in endemic countries. It has also contributed to the recovery of more than 60 million acres of previously abandoned arable land.
Prix Galien USA
The Prix Galien recognizes the pharmaceutical industry's outstanding achievement in the development of new medicines. An internationally recognized award, the Prix Galien was founded in France in 1969 by French pharmacist, Roland Mehl, and the 2007 ceremony was the Prix Galien's inaugural event in the United States. The Prix Galien, often considered the industry's equivalent of the Nobel Prize, is the highest accolade for pharmaceutical research and development.
About Merck
Merck & Co., Inc. is a global research-driven pharmaceutical company dedicated to putting patients first. Established in 1891, Merck currently discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines to address unmet medical needs. The Company devotes extensive efforts to increase access to medicines through far-reaching programs that not only donate Merck medicines, but also help deliver them to the people who need them. Merck also publishes unbiased health information as a not-for-profit service. For more information, visit www.merck.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The forward-looking statements may include statements regarding product development, product potential or financial performance. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those projected. Merck undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect Merck's business, particularly those mentioned in the risk factors and cautionary statements in Item 1A of Merck's Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2006, and in its periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K, which the Company incorporates by reference.Â