WORLDWIDE CONTACT US ABOUT US INVENTING FOR LIFE PRODUCTS RESEARCH LICENSING NEWSROOM CAREERS INVESTORS Home MERCK’S COMMITMENT TO PREVENTION AND CARE FOR NCDS Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) — diseases that can’t be transmitted from person to person — are the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. THE FIVE MAIN TYPES OF NCDs Cardiovascular Diseases (like heart attacks and strokes) Cancers Chronic Respiratory Diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) Mental Health (Alzheimer's disease) Diabetes While systems in the developed world to address NCDs are relatively advanced, NCDs continue to pose an increasing burden on health and economic development in developing countries — where 80 percent of NCD-related deaths take place. To help address this challenge, Merck is proud to be a founding member of Access Accelerated — a global initiative to advance access to non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and care in low and lower-middle income countries (LICs and LMICs). Launched during the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Access Accelerated brings together 22 biopharmaceutical companies that will work in partnership with the World Bank and the Union of International Cancer Control (UICC). Merck’s Past and Future Commitment to NCD Care New medicines and vaccines are essential in the effort to address the public health burden of NCDs. Throughout our long history, Merck has pioneered numerous novel approaches to prevent and treat NCDs — particularly in diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. In 2015, our research and development expenses were $6.7 billion for conditions including NCDs. We have a responsibility not only to discover innovative medicines, but also to innovate in how we improve them, how we use technology, and how we partner with the health community to bring them to the people who need them. All stakeholders – governments, industry, civil society, patients and caregivers — need to engage in creative and collaborative partnerships to address NCDs. We are committed to broadening the number of solutions available to patients and help decrease the affliction of NCDs. “The surest remedy for any disease is to invent the best medicine or vaccine and ensure that the broadest number of patients have access to it.” — Ken Frazier, Chairman & CEO, Merck Helping to Achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent the international community’s aspirations for improving the lives of the world’s poorest people. To date, there has been no greater effort to overcome extreme poverty, poor health, hunger and other development challenges. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes NCDs as a major challenge for sustainable development and aims to reduce by one third premature mortality from NCDs by 2030. READ MORE ABOUT MERCK’S HISTORY AND COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING THE SDGs Merck's Access to Health Statement of Guiding Principles Access to health supports Merck’s overall mission to discover, develop and produce innovative products and services that save and improve lives around the world. To guide our efforts, we follow our companywide Access to Health Statement of Guiding Principles, which articulates our approach and aspirations in the areas of Research and Development, Manufacturing and Supply, Registration, Commercialization, and Community Investment. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR APPROACH TO ACCESS Published Jan. 2017 Copyright. © 2009-2018 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Forward-Looking Statement Privacy Terms of Use Site Map