Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that Michael Klobuchar has been appointed executive vice president and chief strategy officer, a newly created role, effective July 5, 2021. As chief strategy officer, Klobuchar will become a member of Merck's Executive Committee and lead the advancement and execution of the company's strategy.

"Our company's strength lies in the insight and expertise of our team and our unrelenting commitment to creating and deploying new medicines and vaccines that address important human and animal health needs," said Rob Davis, president, Merck. "Mike's insights, experience in key strategic, operational and financial roles, and deep commitment to scientific innovation will help drive our company's evolution, and I look forward to collaborating with him in this important new role."

"I am honored to become Merck's chief strategy officer, and I look forward to working closely with Rob and the Executive Committee to advance our company's strategy and amplify the impact of our company's remarkable scientific capabilities in an evolving industry," Klobuchar said. "I am continually inspired by our company's 130-year legacy of scientific innovation that saves and improves lives, and I am humbled to have the opportunity to help sustain that legacy long into the future."

Klobuchar is currently senior vice president, Merck Research Laboratories Finance and Global Project and Alliance Management. Prior to that he was the company's senior vice president, Corporate Strategy and Financial Planning, and president, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund. Mike joined Merck in 1998 as a synthetic process development engineer supporting new pipeline candidates within MRL and has since held key technical, operational and financial roles across several areas of the company.

Klobuchar has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Rutgers University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Villanova University.

About Merck

For 130 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the "company") includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company's patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company's 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC's Internet site (www.sec.gov).

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Merck Appoints Michael Klobuchar Chief Strategy Officer