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July 9, 2021 6:45 am ET

KENILWORTH, N.J., July 9, 2021 – MSD (NYSE:MRK), a trade name of Merck & Co., Inc, Kenilworth, NJ, USA, affirmed its commitment to enabling global access to molnupiravir through its voluntary license agreements and ongoing clinical program.

As previously announced, MSD has entered into voluntary license agreements for molnupiravir with established Indian generics manufacturers. MSD has entered into these agreements to accelerate availability of molnupiravir in India and in other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) following approvals or emergency authorization by local regulatory agencies.  Molnupiravir is an investigational oral antiviral agent currently being studied in a Phase 3 trial for the treatment of non-hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19. MSD is developing molnupiravir in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

 One of these generics manufacturers, Hetero, has announced that it has accumulated positive data from an open label clinical study of molnupiravir and has submitted these data to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).  MSD is encouraged by these promising data and looks forward to continuing to work with Hetero and other generics manufacturers that MSD has agreements with as they conduct studies of generic versions of investigational molnupiravir.

 MSD, in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, is conducting an ongoing randomized placebo-controlled phase 2/3 clinical trial of molnupiravir in non-hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 at more than 100 sites worldwide. For more information on this clinical trial visit https://msdcovidresearch.com.

MSD has a long track record of making our medicines and vaccines accessible and affordable globally, and we remain committed to doing the same for molnupiravir. These voluntary license agreements are part of this commitment.

About Molnupiravir

Molnupiravir (EIDD-2801/MK-4482) is an investigational, orally bioavailable form of a potent ribonucleoside analog that inhibits the replication of multiple RNA viruses including SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Molnupiravir has been shown to be active in several models of SARS-CoV-2, including for prophylaxis, treatment, and prevention of transmission, as well as SARS-CoV-1 and MERS. EIDD-2801 was invented at Drug Innovations at Emory (DRIVE), LLC, a not-for-profit biotechnology company wholly owned by Emory University and is being developed by MSD in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. Since licensed by Ridgeback, all funds used for the development of EIDD-2801/MK-4482 have been provided by Wayne and Wendy Holman and MSD.

About MSD

For 130 years, MSD has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. MSD is a trade name of Merck & Co., Inc., with headquarters in Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, MSD continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals — including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases — as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. For more information, visit www.msd.com and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’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 the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); 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; the company’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 the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

The company 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 the company’s 2020 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).

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