Search everything Menu About us > History Our history “We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits.” – George Merck For over 130 years, we've been guided by the view that great medicines and vaccines change the world. Our legacy of inventing medicines and vaccines continues to this day. We adapt our business not only for the next quarter but for the next quarter century. View by: Select year 1891 1899 1925 1933 1936 1940 1948 1950 1953 1957 1958 1970 1971 1977 1978 1985 1986 1987 1996 1998 2006 2009 2011 2014 2019 1891 Merck & Co. founded Merck & Co. was founded in the U.S. on January 1, 1891. George Merck, age 23, established the company to distribute fine chemicals throughout New York City and the neighboring areas. 1899 The first Merck Manual published The first Merck Manual was published in 1899. Treatments in the first manual included bloodletting for acute bronchitis, arsenic for impotence and almond bread for diabetes. The Merck Manual went on to become one of the most widely used medical references. 1925 George W. Merck became president of our company George Merck's son, George W. Merck, began his career in the packing and shipping department in 1914, and he received training in most branches of the business. He would lead Merck through the 1927 merger with Powers-Weightman-Rosengarten Co. and turned his attention toward building Merck's research capacity, catalyzing the company's reputation for innovation. 1933 Merck Research Laboratory created The Merck Research Laboratory was founded in Rahway, New Jersey. The laboratory represented Merck's initial foray into pharmacological research and included three separate divisions: Pure Research, the Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research and Applied Research. 1936 Vitamin B1 synthesized Merck first synthesized vitamin B₁ and published the results in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The development allowed for mass production of the vitamin, and within a few years, the product had contributed to the reduction of vitamin B₁ deficiency (beriberi). In subsequent years, Merck's management committed the company to isolating and synthesizing vitamins and making them more widely available. 1940s Discovered and distributed breakthrough antibiotic, streptomycin Tuberculosis was historically a leading cause of death in the U.S. In 1943, Dr. Selman Waksman and Albert Schatz discovered streptomycin, the first effective treatment for the disease. Merck had supported Dr. Waksman's research lab and held the new drug's patent rights. Once its significant health benefits were recognized, Merck relinquished its exclusive patent on the antibiotic to ensure maximum patient access. By 1950, tuberculosis-related deaths in the U.S. fell by nearly 50 percent. 1948 Merck entered the animal health market with sulfaquinoxaline After years of extensive testing, Merck brought S.Q. (sulfaquinoxaline) to market. The product, used to prevent coccidiosis, a parasitic poultry disease, formally ushered Merck into the field of animal health. 1950 Cortisone first commercially synthesized Dr. Lewis Sarett, a researcher at Merck Research Laboratory in Rahway, developed CORTONE (cortisone). The drug was used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever and other related chronic diseases which were often fatal and for which there was no known effective treatment. 1950 Medicine is for the people In a defining moment for the company, George W. Merck gave a talk at the Medical College of Virginia at Richmond, during which he made a famous statement about how the medical and pharmaceutical community could be successful: "We try to remember that medicine is for the patient. We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits. The profits follow, and if we have remembered that, they have never failed to appear." This philosophy is embraced by our leaders and employees to this day. 1953 Merck merged with Sharp & Dohme The merger brought together Merck's extensive chemical research and manufacturing facilities with Sharp & Dohme's pharmaceutical development, marketing expertise and international presence. Sharp & Dohme's West Point, Pennsylvania facilities were included in the merger. 1957 The Merck Foundation was created Merck established the Merck Company Foundation, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to charitable giving, with an initial contribution of $500,000. To date, the Merck Foundation has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations. 1958 DIURIL launched to treat high blood pressure The release of DIURL (chlorothiazide) signaled the company's emergence as a leading cardiovascular company. Since the introduction of DIURIL, we have been at the forefront of developing new treatments to fight high blood pressure and heart disease. The “Diuril Man,” a transparent plastic figurine showing the heart, lungs, kidneys, ureters and bladder, helped Merck show physicians the value of the breakthrough product. 1970s Treatment for trichinosis for animals discovered In humans, trichinosis (caused by eating raw or undercooked meat) can cause high fever, muscle pain and swelling and other serious symptoms. In 1961, a Merck research team led by Dr. William Campbell discovered thiabendazole, the first drug known to kill the trichinella parasite in sheep, goat, cattle and pigs. When the reindeer populations of the Arctic Circle became severely afflicted by parasitic infections, Merck scientists traveled north to treat them with THIBENZOLE (thiabendazole), a deworming agent. The treatment not only helped protect the reindeer, but also the indigenous peoples who depended on them for survival. 1971 Merck began distributing the M-M-R vaccine Merck began distributing a combined measles-mumps-rubella (M-M-R) vaccine that was developed by Drs. Maurice Hilleman and Eugene B. Buynak. M-M-R was composed of three vaccines: ATTENUVAX, an updated version of Merck's measles vaccine; MERUVAX, a rubella vaccine; and MUMPSVAX, Merck's mumps vaccine. 1977 First pneumonia vaccine was approved PNEUMOVAX (pneumococcal vaccine polyvalent), Merck's pneumonia vaccine, was approved. Research and development of the vaccine was carried out under the direction of Dr. Maurice Hilleman. 1978 FDA approved Mefoxin MEFOXIN was indicated for the treatment of many infections caused by certain bacteria, including gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens. 1985 VASOTEC was approved by the FDA VASOTEC (enalapril), an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor for treatment of high blood pressure and congestive heart failure, was approved by the FDA. VASOTEC became Merck's first billion-dollar product in 1988. 1986 Hepatitis B vaccine was approved by the FDA Merck's recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, RECOMBIVAX HB [hepatitis b vaccine (recombinant)], was approved by the FDA, the first recombinant vaccine for human use. In 1989, Merck transferred its RECOMBIVAX HB vaccine technology to the Chinese government, where hepatitis B was the largest public health challenge in the country with an estimated 100 million carriers of the disease. 1987 Merck introduced the first commercial statin Merck introduced lovastatin, the first of the statin family of medicines to be approved by the FDA. It emerged from decades of study by scientists in the U.S. and abroad, at universities, independent laboratories and at Merck. 1987 Merck committed to donate Mectizan - as much as needed for as long as needed - with the goal to eliminate river blindness. In 1987, Merck CEO Dr. Roy Vagelos announced Merck's commitment to donate Mectizan - as much as needed for as long as needed - with the goal to help eliminate river blindness. In order to reach this goal, Merck leaders recognized that many organizations with unique skills would need to work together as a team. Thus, the Mectizan Donation Program (MDP) was created as a groud-breaking public-private partnership that becomes influential in the development of a number of other drug donation programs. 1996 CRIXIVAN (INDINAVIR SULFATE) approved by the FDA CRIXIVAN (INDINAVIR SULFATE), for the treatment of HIV, was approved by the FDA after a review period of 42 days. Prior to the FDA approval in 1995, in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, patients and HIV advocacy groups, Merck decided to offer the Crixivan Program. Through this program, Merck made the drug available at no cost to selective patients before it was commercially available. 1998 SINGULAIR approved by FDA SINGULAIR (montelukast sodium) was approved by the FDA for the prevention and treatment of asthma. It was the product of nearly twenty years of research conducted at our Merck Frosst discovery hub in Kirkland, Canada, into a new class of asthma medicines called leukotriene blockers. 2006 JANUVIA (sitagliptin) approved by the FDA. The FDA approved JANUVIA (sitagliptin), a DPP-4 inhibitor approved to treat Type 2 diabetes. 2006 GARDASIL approved by the FDA The FDA approved Merck's GARDASIL [human papillomavirus quadrivalent (types 6, 11, 16, 18) vaccine, recombinant] for the prevention of cervical cancer caused by certain HPV types. In 2007, Merck committed to donating 3 million doses of GARDASIL over 5 years to support vaccination programs in the world's lowest-income nations. 2009 Merck and Schering-Plough merged Merck and Schering-Plough completed a merger and began combined operations. The purchase made the company the second largest pharmaceutical company in United States by revenue. 2011 Global Merck for Mothers initiative began In 2010, one woman died every two minutes during childbirth and pregnancy. Many of these deaths were preventable. In response, we launched Merck for Mothers, a global initiative with partners to improve the health and well-being of women before, during and after pregnancy and childbirth. As of 2019, the effort has reached more than nine million women globally in 48 countries. 2014 BRAVECTO approved by the FDA for the Merck Animal Health division The FDA approved BRAVECTO (fluralaner), the first chewable tablets for dogs to be shown to kill fleas and multiple tick species for 12 weeks in a single dose. 2014 Merck received accelerated approval of KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) The FDA approved KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), the first anti-PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1) therapy. It had previously received breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA. 2019 ERVEBO® approved by the FDA From Guinea to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the world was dealing with the largest and most complex Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first discovered in 1976. As the outbreaks remained a global health challenge, scientists from Merck, along with numerous external collaborators from all sectors, remained at the forefront of the efforts to address this deadly disease. Merck received FDA approval for ERVEBO® (Ebola Zaire Vaccine, Live) for the prevention of disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus in individuals 18 years of age and older. 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