Merck & Co. Prices EUR 1.0 Billion Debt Offering

KENILWORTH, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck & Co., Inc., (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, priced today a EUR 1.0 billion public offering of two series of Euro-denominated senior unsecured notes (collectively, the “New Notes”). Based on Oct. 21, 2016, closing exchange rates the EUR 1.0 billion equates to approximately $1.087 billion. The notes include:

EUR 500 million of 0.500% notes due Nov. 2024
EUR 500 million of 1.375% notes due Nov. 2036

Merck intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including without limitation repayment of outstanding commercial paper borrowings and other indebtedness with upcoming maturities. The offering is expected to close on Nov. 2, 2016, subject to customary closing conditions. BNP Paribas, Citigroup Global Markets Limited, and Merrill Lynch International are acting as the active joint book-running managers for the offering.

The offering of the New Notes is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement (including a base prospectus) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The offering may be made only by means of a prospectus and related prospectus supplement, copies of which may be obtained by calling BNP Paribas at (800) 854-5674, Citigroup Global Markets Limited at (800) 831-9146, or Merrill Lynch International at (800) 294-1322. An electronic copy of the registration statement and prospectus supplement, together with the base prospectus, is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

About Merck

For 125 years, Merck has been a global health care leader working to help the world be well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships.

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. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, the company’s ability to complete the offering and the company’s expectations for the use of proceeds from the offering. 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 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 2015 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).