Where can I find Merck's 2010 data?

Merck published a printed Overview, available here,which provides a brief summary of our new corporate responsibility framework with highlights on performance. A comprehensive report with additional metrics and information is available on this website www.merckresponsibility.com. Both the print overview and website were updated in September 2011.

Why did Merck publish this report?

Merck is committed to increasing transparency in its reporting and engagement with stakeholders on those issues and concerns that matter most—both to our stakeholders and to Merck's future success. We believe that the best way to address the concerns, risks and questions facing our business, and to build a foundation of trust, is to be more transparent about the way we operate.

We published this year's report to provide information about our new approach to corporate responsibility, as well as background on our initiatives. We seek to be clear not only about our opportunities, but also about the challenges we face, what we are doing to address them and why. We discuss our approach, our performance and impact, and our priorities and commitments for the future.

Can you elaborate on the "Discovering" theme of this year's report?

Merck is committed to discovering better ways to make a positive impact on society whether it is through our innovative medicines and vaccines, through our engagement with stakeholders, or through our involvement in the communities in which we operate. Discovering a better way to fulfill our mission defines corporate responsibility at Merck and this latest report illustrates the various ways we are expanding access to healthcare, engaging our employees, protecting the environment and operating ethically and transparently. Discovery is vital to our business and we invite you to discover the better ways we are working to help the world be well.

What does this report contain?

Merck's reporting covers the company's corporate responsibility performance during 2010, with some additional information relating to 2011. Based on feedback from stakeholders and the company's own analysis, our reporting focuses on four specific, non-financial material issues:

• Access to Health
• Environmental Sustainability
• Employees
• Ethics and Transparency

Our reporting provides detail on these issues in terms of the challenges we face as a company, our strategy and our performance. It also includes key performance indicators, metrics and targets for many of the areas discussed.

In our reporting, Merck also seeks to articulate the business case for corporate responsibility at Merck; to provide greater emphasis on impact; to explain how corporate responsibility is integrated and governed within Merck and to be more explicit about how the company measures and manages its operational risks.

How did you decide on what to include in the report?

In 2010, Merck conducted a materiality assessment that included discussions with both internal and external stakeholders to identify those environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues of greatest significance to multiple stakeholders and to Merck's future success, and those that we have the ability to control or influence.

Based on this assessment, we identified four priority ESG issues for the company:

• Access to Health
• Environmental Sustainability
• Employees
• Ethics and Transparency

These issues were assessed by Merck based on three parameters: 1) the impact on Merck's ability to achieve our business strategy; 2) level of concern to external stakeholders; and 3) the degree to which Merck can control and influence the topic or issue.

Merck recognizes the importance of issues that may not be within the company's immediate or total control such as access to medicines, climate change, and poverty, particularly in the developing world. In these areas, we believe that we can, however, influence how progress is made in addressing these issues, particularly through public policy and advocacy or through partnerships with others.

In addition, Merck is in sustained dialogue with external stakeholders representing a variety of constituencies. In one-on-one discussions, we talk about our planned approach to reporting, Merck's materiality assessment process and the broad material issues we have identified. Our goal in these discussions is to listen to our stakeholders' perspectives and recommendations.

In 2010, Merck's Public Policy and Responsibility Council affirmed these four issue areas as the company's ongoing priority ESG issues, and reaffirmed their support for a systematic process to identify specific goals, targets and key performance indicators with which to measure Merck's performance in each area.

We are using several external guidelines and measurement frameworks to inform the scope of our reporting, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI 3.1) Guidelines, the Millennium Development Goals, the Access to Medicines Index and the U.N. Global Compact, which Merck signed on to in January 2009. Merck reports at a self-declared reporting level of A on the GRI Guidelines, which has been confirmed by the GRI.

Did you report in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative?

Yes, Merck reports according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3.1 guidelines on our corporate responsibility report website. The voluntary GRI G3.1 guidelines offer a useful framework for transparent reporting about environmental, social and governance performance. Greater transparency on such matters is beneficial to our business because it helps to inform our stakeholders and also enables us to compare performance with peers on relevant metrics. We believe that this will help us focus on continuously improving the things that matter most. Merck reports at a self-declared reporting level of A on the GRI3.1 Guidelines, which has been confirmed by the GRI.

Did you obtain independent external verification?

No, we did not obtain external verification. We are building an internal process to allow for ease of data collection and enhancement of internal verification.

While we did not obtain external verification, we did speak with numerous external stakeholders representing a variety of constituencies about the company's planned approach to reporting, Merck's corporate responsibility materiality assessment process and the broad material areas upon which it planned to report. The company reflects these comments where feasible and appropriate in its website and will use the insights gained through these and continuing discussions with stakeholders to inform future reporting.

Did you obtain stakeholder input?

Yes, we did speak with external stakeholders representing a variety of constituencies about the company's planned approach to reporting, Merck's corporate responsibility materiality assessment process and the broad material areas upon which it planned to report. Learn more about our stakeholder engagement process.

Will Merck issue updates to the report throughout the year?

We plan to update our corporate responsibility website as new information becomes available.

When will you publish your next report?

Merck plans to publish its next comprehensive report in 2012.

Is the content of Merck's corporate responsibility web page the same as the content in Merck's printed corporate responsibility report?

No. Merck has decided to produce our annual corporate responsibility report electronically. While we have printed an overview of our corporate responsibility activities that highlight our efforts in a more narrative fashion, our 2010 corporate responsibility report utilizing the GRI framework and including all our key performance indicators and measurements is only available at www.merckresponsibility.com.

How can I provide feedback about Merck's corporate responsibility programs through the website?

Your feedback is important to us and will be helpful as we develop future reports.

Contact us at corporate_responsibility@merck.com

Or mail your comments to:
Merck & Co., Inc.
Office of Corporate Responsibility
WS2A-55
One Merck Drive
Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889
USA

How can I get a hard copy of the report?

A copy of the report may be downloaded from here or to send a request to have the report mailed to you, click here.