Merck Pioneers New Efforts to See MS From the Inside Out

Not intended for media in the UK and the U.S.

- Company launches global art campaign for people with MS to express
their invisible symptoms and the unseen impact of the disease
- Thought-provoking campaign coincides with the launch of
MSonyourterms.com (http://www.msonmyterms.com/), a resource for
patients, carers, and the public to understand MS from the Inside
Out
- Merck to donate EUR1 to the Multiple Sclerosis International
Federation for every social media post (up to EUR50,000) shared by
members of the public that include the hashtags #MSInsideOut and
#MyInvisibleMS

Darmstadt, Germany (ots/PRNewswire) - Merck, a leading science and
technology company, joins the global multiple sclerosis (MS)
community in recognition of World MS Day, an initiative created by
the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation
(https://www.msif.org/) (MSIF) to raise awareness of the 2.3 million
people worldwide living with this challenging disease. In support of
this year's World MS Day theme, #MyInvisibleMS, Merck is making MS
visible through a variety of initiatives aimed at shining a light on
the hidden symptoms of MS. These invisible symptoms, which include
visual problems, fatigue, pain and emotional changes1, can vary
between patients and often add to the stigma and emotional burden of
the disease.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8552351-merck-new-efforts-to-se
e-ms-inside-out/

Merck has partnered with people living with MS and their carers to
create art that visually expresses the invisible effects of MS. The
company has created vibrant pop-up art galleries which will display
the creations in 15 different countries. These creative efforts are
aimed at educating viewers on the invisible symptoms of MS and the
ways they impact quality of life.

"People around us don't see our invisible symptoms, but that
doesn't mean they don't exist. The artwork is just a friendly
reminder to everyone that even though we don't look "sick", MS is
still a chronic condition we have to deal with every day," said
Stanca P., living with MS and the creator of one of the art pieces.

Today, Merck also launched the webpage MSonyourterms.com
(http://www.msonmyterms.com/) for patients, carers and the general
public. The resource focuses on how patients can live with MS without
being defined by it, and contains patient testimonials, along with
questions that reflect everyday situations and treatment
considerations. A link to see the artwork from the Merck pop-up
galleries can also be found on the new website.

To support MSIF's Informed Decision-Making Programme, Merck will
donate EUR1 for every post shared (up to EUR50,000) on social media
by members of the public including combined use of the hashtags
#MSInsideOut and #MyInvisibleMS until June 8. The Informed
Decision-Making Programme supports several initiatives of MS patient
groups around the world. These initiatives aim to provide reliable,
accessible and up-to-date information, so that people know they are
making the best decision for their MS and their lives.

"Merck is deeply committed to MS and better understanding both the
visible and unseen ways the disease can affect patients," said Andrew
Paterson, Global Head of Neurology & Immunology at Merck. "We are
inspired by the patients and carers who have advanced this
understanding and who made their MS symptoms visible by sharing their
experience."

As part of the company`s commitment to better understand MS, Merck
announced the documentary "Seeing MS from the Inside Out" on World MS
Day last year. The documentary premiered at ECTRIMS 2018 and was
recently screened at the 2019 Indy Film Fest (May 2-12) at the
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Newfields, USA, along with the 2019
Caorle Film Festival in Venice, Italy (May 9-11). The film was also
accepted for the Beach Cities Inspirational Film Festival (2020) in
California, USA. A link to see the full documentary is available on
MSonyourterms.com (http://www.msonmyterms.com/).

Merck employees around the world are recognising World MS Day
today and beyond through a variety of activities, including
showcasing artwork from the gallery in offices across the globe. To
learn more about Merck's commitment to MS and to see how the company
is recognising the day all over the world, follow the global
Tweetathon @MerckHealthcare on Twitter today.

All Merck press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same
time they become available on the Merck website. Please go to
www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your
selection or discontinue this service.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory condition of
the central nervous system and is the most common non-traumatic,
disabling neurological disease in young adults. It is estimated that
approximately 2.3 million people have MS worldwide. While symptoms
can vary, the most common symptoms of MS include blurred vision,
numbness or tingling in the limbs and problems with strength and
coordination. The relapsing forms of MS are the most common.

About World MS Day 2019

World MS Day is officially marked on 30 May each year. Events and
campaigns take place throughout the month of May. It brings the
global MS community together to share stories, raise awareness and
campaign with and for everyone affected by multiple sclerosis. The
2019 campaign will be called 'My Invisible MS' (#MyInvisibleMS) and
the theme is Visibility. In 2009, the MS International Federation
(MSIF) and its members initiated the first World MS Day. Together we
have reached hundreds of thousands of people around the world, with a
campaign focusing on a different theme each year. MSIF provides a
toolkit of free resources to help everyone to take part in World MS
Day. Anyone can use these tools, or make their own, to create
positive change in the lives of more than 2.3 million people around
the world.

About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across
healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 52,000
employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's
lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live.
From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways
to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence
of devices - the company is everywhere. In 2018, Merck generated
sales of EUR 14.8 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been
key to Merck's technological and scientific advances. This is how
Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family
remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck
holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only
exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business
sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma
in life science, and EMD Performance Materials.

1 https://www.msif.org/about-ms/symptoms-of-ms/

Video: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/894226/Merck_MS_Day.mp4

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/894227/Merck_Logo.jpg

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