Merck Announces Increased Quarterly Dividend

Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the Board of Directors has increased the company’s quarterly dividend to $0.45 per outstanding share of the company’s common stock, up $0.01 from $0.44 per outstanding share paid last quarter. Payment will be made on Jan. 8, 2015, to stockholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 15, 2014.

“The dividend increase reflects the progress we have made in aggressively managing costs and focusing resources, which has allowed us to fully invest in our most promising opportunities for growth while continuing to return meaningful value to our shareholders,” said Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman and chief executive officer, Merck.

Merck last announced a dividend increase in November 2013, when the Board raised the dividend from $0.43 to $0.44 per common share.

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 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.

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. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Merck’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; Merck’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 Merck’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent 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 2013 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).

Contacts:

Merck
Media:
Lainie Keller, 908-236-5036
or
Investors:
Justin Holko, 908-423-5088

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