Menu SALES AND MARKETING We know that doctors and patients look to us to provide accurate and balanced information about our products. We adhere to strict ethical sales and marketing practices for all of our businesses, whether pharmaceuticals, vaccines, consumer health or animal health. We're committed to providing appropriate and balanced information to physicians and other healthcare providers designed to help them make better prescribing decisions for their patients. We also market our products directly to consumers at times. We believe direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising contributes to greater awareness about conditions and diseases, which can benefit public health by increasing the number of patients appropriately diagnosed and treated. In 2008, we strengthened our policy on DTC advertising, including adopting a minimum six-month time period following the approval of a new product before launching DTC broadcast advertising in the United States. Our interactions with healthcare providers, other customers and consumers are governed by laws and regulations, and by our global code of conduct which includes standard business practices and compliance guidance. We take these responsibilities seriously and periodically evaluate our marketing, sales and advertising activities to ensure they align with the applicable laws, regulations and Merck's policies and values. Other Positions on Sales and Marketing Direct-to-Consumer Advertising Merck’s Statement on PhRMA Code MORE INFORMATION PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals Transparency at Merck CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY View the full report Copyright. © 2009-2017 Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Forward-Looking Statement Privacy Terms of Use Site Map