Merck - An ongoing commitment to the education of tomorrow's scientific innovators

SHERBROOKE, QC, April 19, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Merck is proud to be a partner of the 2012 Super Expo-sciences Hydro-Québec provincial final, which starts today at the Université de Sherbrooke Cultural Centre.

Until Sunday, April 22, the Université de Sherbrooke will welcome close to 145 young students from across the province of Québec who will be presenting the projects that made them stand out in their respective regions during the regional finals.

"At Merck, we are committed to investing in our communities and in our future scientific innovators. As a former participant of Expo-sciences and a proud member of Québec's life sciences industry, I am living proof that these investments can be fruitful. I am proud of Merck's long standing partnership with this unique science and technology competition and I look forward to seeing what these young scientists will come up with," said Anne-Véronique Juneau, Clinical Research Director in Canada, Global Clinical Trial Operations, Merck.

Close to fifteen Merck employees will be part of the jury in the Québec finals, to choose the best projects and to select the young participants who will make up the delegation representing Québec during the Canada-wide Science Fair 2012, held from May 12 to 19 in Charlottetown. Merck, as the main sponsor of the Québec delegation, is proud to support the 40-member team who will participate in the 51^st Canada-Wide Science Fair.

At the Super Expo-sciences Hydro-Québec provincial final closing ceremony, Merck will award a $1,000 "Exploring Minds" bursary for the best experimental or design project focused on the preservation and improvement of human health. Leading up to the Québec provincial final, Merck will have awarded, at the 12 regional Science Fair finals, bursaries of $400 for experimental or design projects in this same category. The winners will join the "Exploring Minds" group, made up of all of Merck's past bursary recipients.

Merck is committed to supporting young people who have an enthusiasm for research and scientific progress through various projects, such as the Science Fairs which Merck has been supporting for the last 21 years. The company firmly believes in its commitment to the community.

About Merck

Today's Merck is working to help the world be well. Merck is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines, consumer and animal health products. In Canada, Merck markets more than 530 pharmaceutical, consumer and animal health products. Merck is a leader in a broad range of areas such as cardiology, infectious diseases, respiratory, vaccines, women's health and sun care, and is focused on expanding offerings in other areas, including virology, oncology and diabetes. For more information about our operations in Canada, visit www.merck.ca.

Forward Looking Statement

This news release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the merger between Merck and Schering-Plough, including future financial and operating results, the combined company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Merck's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: the possibility that all of the expected synergies from the merger of Merck and Schering-Plough will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; Merck's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; dependence on the effectiveness of Merck's patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation and/or regulatory actions.

Merck 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 Merck's 2011 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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Media contacts:

Ani Armenian
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Dominique Quirion
514-843-2302