Merck Provides Diabetes Portfolio Update and Underscores Comprehensive, Long-Term Commitment to Patients with Diabetes

PRESS RELEASE

KENILWORTH, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, provided an update today on its diabetes portfolio and re-affirmed the company’s comprehensive, long-term commitment to patients with diabetes. Merck has a proud history in helping patients with type 2 diabetes. Since launching JANUVIA

®

(sitagliptin) in 2006 as the first DPP-4 inhibitor in the United States, Merck has continued to collaborate with academic and industry partners on advances in the care of patients with diabetes, and to research and develop innovative treatment options. At the 51

st

European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, new Phase 3 data on Merck’s investigational once-weekly oral DPP-4 inhibitor, omarigliptin, and additional findings from the Trial Evaluating Cardiovascular Outcomes with Sitagliptin (TECOS) of Merck’s once-daily DPP-4 inhibitor, JANUVIA, are being presented.

“At Merck, our priorities are driven by unmet medical need and our belief in Merck's ability to advance patient care, which is why diabetes remains a top priority. Our teams are focused on bringing forward both scientific insights and new treatment options that can help patients and physicians better manage the challenges of diabetes,” said Sam Engel, M.D., associate vice president, Merck clinical research, diabetes and endocrinology. “We have a strong portfolio of established medicines, and continue to strengthen our role in the future of diabetes treatment through our own research and development, strategic collaborations and acquisitions.”

Our flagship medicine, JANUVIA, was approved in 2006 in the United States and is now available in more than 127 countries worldwide. More than 83 million prescriptions of JANUVIA

and JANUMET

®

(sitagliptin and metformin HCl) have been dispensed worldwide. The recent presentation of the results of TECOS—the CV safety trial of more than 14,000 patients with type 2 diabetes—has provided important new information on JANUVIA, and additional analyses of safety data from TECOS will be presented on Sept. 18, 2015 at the EASD Annual Meeting. The results of the TECOS CV safety trial will be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies this year.