Merck Officially Inaugurates Merck Institute of Aging and Health.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2001

Dating back more than 100 years with the introduction of The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, Merck & Co., Inc. has a long history of providing trusted health information to the public.

Continuing that legacy, Merck publicly introduced the Merck Institute of Aging and Health (MIAH) and its new web site, www.miahonline.org, today at a reception for policymakers and leaders on aging issues.

MIAH was chartered as a result of a 1998 Merck-commissioned U.S. study that showed seniors have significant unmet needs for credible and accessible information on healthy and active aging.

"Today marks a very special occasion for Merck, as we officially inaugurate the Merck Institute of Aging and Health," said Merck Chairman Raymond V. Gilmartin. "I have no doubt that the Merck Institute of Aging and Health will help transform the promise of active aging into reality. In the process, the Institute will help prepare the public, professionals and policymakers to face the critical issue of healthy aging in the 21st century."

Funded by The Merck Company Foundation, the mission of the non-profit MIAH extends beyond providing information to also improving the health, independence and quality of life of older people throughout the world. The organization, headed by world-renowned Patricia Barry, M.D., MPH, will promote healthy lifestyles and disease prevention by communicating vital health information, educating the public and health professionals, and encouraging research in the aging field. MIAH's primary target audience is middle-aged and older adults in the United States and Europe. Eventually, the organization will expand into other areas of the world.

Merck has had a longstanding commitment to meeting the health needs of the elderly. Since the early 1980s, Merck activities have focused in two major areas: publications and support of geriatric education, training and research. One age-related publication by Merck includes the highly regarded Merck Manual of Geriatrics, first published in 1989 and now in its third English edition, as well as in Chinese, French, Hungarian, Japanese, Spanish, Polish and web site editions. Training, education and research initiatives include Merck's funding for the New Investigator Awards through the American Geriatrics Society and the nearly $1 million that The Merck Company Foundation designates annually for innovative programs and studies to improve elderly care.

In 1995, Merck-Medco, a pharmaceutical benefit services division within Merck, established the industry's first coordinated pharmacy benefits geriatrics program, Partners in Healthy Aging. The Gerontological Health Section of the American Public Health Association recognized Partners in Healthy Aging in 1999 for its excellence in program innovation.

"Seniors represent one of the fastest-growing groups of patients in the world," said Mr. Gilmartin. "We recognize and appreciate that, which is one key reason Merck has taken an active interest in helping to ensure this group is able to maintain a high quality of life."

The Merck Company Foundation is a private, U.S.-based, charitable foundation. Established in 1957, the Foundation is funded entirely by Merck and is the company's chief source of funding support to qualified non-profit, charitable organizations. The mission of the Foundation is to improve health care worldwide and advance biomedical science training and education. Since its inception, the Foundation has contributed more than US$255 million to improve health care and support biomedical education as well as support social service, art and cultural, civic, environmental, and other charitable organizations.

Merck & Co., Inc. is a leading, research-driven pharmaceutical products and services company. Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of innovative products to improve human and animal health, directly and through its joint ventures. Merck-Medco manages pharmacy benefits for employees, insurers and other plan sponsors, encouraging the appropriate use of medicines and providing disease management programs. Through these complementary capabilities, Merck works to improve the quality of life and contain overall health care costs.