The global research-driven pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. Inc is dedicated to putting patients first. First established in 1891 Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines. The company has long prided itself in being one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies dedicated to research and development.

Merck strives to increase access to medicines through programmes that not only donate medicines but help deliver them to the people who need them. They believe that there is a huge deficient in the availability of drugs to poorer regions, they do all they can to close that gap. Merck also publishes unbiased health information as a not-for-profit service and they seek to maintain high ethical standards and a culture that values honesty, integrity and transparency in all that they do.

Developed countries with sophisticated approval, regulatory and distribution processes, are often related to reimbursement, price, availability of competitive drugs, managed care, government policies and patient and physician choice. One of the recognised ways to remove inefficiencies, control costs and improve the quality of health care is through competition and choice, the cornerstones of the free marketplace. Challenges to ensuring access to medicines, vaccines, and quality health care in the developing world are complex and require multifaceted approaches and solutions. Medicines in developing countries are often limited by inadequate health care infrastructure, lack of expertise and insufficient political will.

Merck works to discover, develop, manufacture, and market vaccines and medicines directly and through alliances with their partners. The mission of Merck is to provide people with superior products and services by developing innovations and solutions that improve the quality of life. Merck was founded and developed on the concept of making quality medicine available to everyone whatever their social or economic status.

Merck employs approximately 61,500 and has ten major research centers worldwide, manufacturing products in 31 facilities in more than 140 countries.

The strategy for growth at Merck is based on breakthrough research both internally and externally through partnerships demonstrating the value of their medicines to patients and providers. Sales in 2005 were $22 billion and they continue to invest heavily in research and development, with $3.8 billion in 2005.

Merck’s products include a broad portfolio of highly innovative prescription products in important therapeutic areas. These include medicines those to treat high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, osteoporosis, asthma, benign prostatic hyperplasia, arthritis, migraine, glaucoma, emesis, infectious diseases and vaccines to prevent childhood diseases and hepatitis A and B.