The chronic diseases that Merck researches are highly aligned with major global burdens of illness, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Burdens of Disease Project.

The chronic diseases that Merck researches not only rank highly on the WHO list of disease burdens of developed countries but are also projected to become very prevalent in the developing world and middle-income markets by 2030. Our research into vaccines and infectious diseases addresses major burdens of illness that are prevalent in all countries, but our preventative treatments could have the greatest immediate impact in the developing world, where healthcare infrastructure is weak or nonexistent.

Considering Merck's pipeline and the list of products we currently market, we estimate that Merck addresses 53 percent of the top 20 global burdens of illness as defined by the WHO.¹

¹World Health Organization. The global burden of disease: 2004 update. WHO Press, Geneva, 2008.