Merck & Co., Inc. has a proud history of providing society with novel medicines and vaccines that enhance the health and well-being of people around the world. Since the 1930s, we have focused our research in therapeutic areas where there is the greatest need for significant medical advancement. During World War II, Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) leaped into high gear, triggering a series of breakthroughs with a profound impact on global health.

Today, our pipeline reflects the scope of our research in more than 20 different diseases and conditions that affect large numbers of people. Our new facility in Boston is dedicated to research in the fields of cancer and neurodegeneration. Each year, there are about 11 million new cases of cancer worldwide, and an estimated 18 million people are living with dementia, a creeping form of brain degeneration that is on the rise as the population ages.

Merck’s drug and vaccine research and development efforts continue to improve public health worldwide. Vaccines provide an important tool for the prevention of serious, often life-threatening diseases throughout the world. Merck’s vaccine program gained considerable momentum in the 1950s with the arrival of Dr. Maurice Hilleman who led that research from 1957 to 1984. During that period, he and his team developed eight of the fourteen routinely recommended vaccines. Some of these vaccines have virtually defeated what were once considered the most common childhood diseases.

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