<SEC-DOCUMENT>0001214659-21-004979.txt : 20210506
<SEC-HEADER>0001214659-21-004979.hdr.sgml : 20210506
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20210506151134
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0001214659-21-004979
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	PX14A6G
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		1
FILED AS OF DATE:		20210506
DATE AS OF CHANGE:		20210506
EFFECTIVENESS DATE:		20210506

SUBJECT COMPANY:	

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			Merck & Co., Inc.
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0000310158
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS [2834]
		IRS NUMBER:				221918501
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			NJ
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		PX14A6G
		SEC ACT:		1934 Act
		SEC FILE NUMBER:	001-06571
		FILM NUMBER:		21897326

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		2000 GALLOPING HILL ROAD
		CITY:			KENILWORTH
		STATE:			NJ
		ZIP:			07033
		BUSINESS PHONE:		908-740-4000

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		2000 GALLOPING HILL ROAD
		CITY:			KENILWORTH
		STATE:			NJ
		ZIP:			07033

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	Merck & Co. Inc.
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	20091103

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	SCHERING PLOUGH CORP
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19920703

FILED BY:		

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			Seventh Generation Interfaith Inc.
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0001773705
		IRS NUMBER:				475298655
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			WI
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		PX14A6G

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		1015 N. NINTH ST.
		CITY:			MILWAUKEE
		STATE:			WI
		ZIP:			53233
		BUSINESS PHONE:		708-315-0571

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		1015 N. NINTH ST.
		CITY:			MILWAUKEE
		STATE:			WI
		ZIP:			53233
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<P STYLE="margin: 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: center"><B>United States Securities and Exchange Commission</B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: center"><B>Washington, DC 20549</B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: center">NOTICE OF EXEMPT SOLICITATION</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify"><B>NAME OF REGISTRANT:&nbsp;</B>Merck &amp; Co.,
Inc.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify"><B>NAME OF PERSONS RELYING ON EXEMPTION:</B>&nbsp;Province
of Saint Joseph of the Capuchin Order</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify"><B>ADDRESS OF PERSON RELYING ON EXEMPTION:&nbsp;</B>930
West State Street, Milwaukee WI 53233</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify"><B>WRITTEN MATERIALS</B>: The attached written
materials are submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-6(g)(1) (the &ldquo;Rule&rdquo;) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Submission
is not required of this filer under the terms of the Rule, but is made voluntarily in the interest of public disclosure and consideration
of these important issues.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify"><B>&nbsp;</B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify"><B>Subject</B>: Exempt Solicitation on Shareholder
Proposal Regarding Access to COVID-19 Products (Item #5)</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left">Dear Fellow Merck Shareholder,</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in">We write to urge you to vote
<B>FOR Item 5</B>, &ldquo;Shareholder Proposal Regarding Access to COVID-19 Products&rdquo; (the &ldquo;Proposal&rdquo;), which calls
for transparency on the role public funding received by Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (&ldquo;Merck&rdquo;) plays in decisions affecting access
to its COVID-19 products, at Merck&rsquo;s annual general meeting on May 25, 2021.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in">Benefiting from public funding
in developing COVID-19 products creates pressure on drug makers to support widespread access in order to achieve public goals. Since the
Proposal was filed, Merck has discontinued development of its COVID-19 vaccine. It continues work, however, on two investigational therapies,
one of which has benefited from federal financial support.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in">Widespread and equitable access
to vaccines and therapeutics is necessary to end the pandemic, prevent the emergence of variants, and revive the economy. To achieve equitable
distribution, not only must products be priced affordably (both now and after the immediate crisis has resolved) but companies must also
be willing to share intellectual property where necessary to increase supply. The Proposal asks Merck to report to shareholders on whether
and how public funding factors into decisions that affect vaccine access, such as pricing and willingness to waive intellectual property
rights, which would allow shareholders to evaluate how Merck is managing associated risks.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left">&nbsp;</P>

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<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"><B><U>The Proposal</U></B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"><B>&nbsp;</B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 0.5in">The Proposal states:</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0 0pt 0.5in"><FONT STYLE="background-color: white">RESOLVED: shareholders
of Merck&nbsp;&amp; Co, Inc. (&ldquo;Merck&rdquo;) ask the Board of Directors to report to shareholders, at reasonable expense and omitting
confidential and proprietary information, on whether and how the direct and/or indirect receipt by Merck of public financial support for
development and manufacture of a vaccine or therapeutic for&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;is being, or will be, taken into account when making decisions
that affect access to such products, such as setting prices.</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"><B><I>&nbsp;</I></B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"><B><U>Merck&rsquo;s COVID-19 Treatment Candidates and Public Funding</U></B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"><B>&nbsp;</B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 0.5in">Merck is currently conducting Phase 2/3 studies
on hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients of its oral anti-viral COVID-19 therapy, molnupiravir,<SUP>1</SUP> which it is developing
in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. Molnupiravir was invented at Drug Innovations at Emory (&ldquo;DRIVE&rdquo;), a &ldquo;not-for-profit
biotechnology company wholly owned by Emory University.&rdquo;<SUP>2</SUP> Ridgeback licensed the drug from DRIVE,<SUP>3</SUP> which
received $16 million in NIH funding to develop it.<SUP>4</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 0.5in">Although Merck asserts in its Statement in Opposition
to the Proposal that it has not received any public support for molnupiravir, we believe that DRIVE&rsquo;s receipt of such support qualifies
as &ldquo;indirect&rdquo; support within the meaning of the Proposal.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">In March 2021, Merck announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research
and Development Authority, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, had awarded it up to $268.8 million to expand manufacturing
capacity for COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics.<SUP>5</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"><B>&nbsp;</B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"><B><U>The Importance of COVID-19 Therapies and Risks Associated With
Barriers to Access to Government-Supported Products</U></B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 0.5in">Although public attention has focused in recent
months on the availability of vaccines, which will play a key role in ending the pandemic and revitalizing the global economy, access
to COVID-19 treatments will continue to be important. Some people cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, and access barriers will likely
prevent vaccination of all eligible people. Thus, the receipt of federal support for therapeutics, such as Merck&rsquo;s anti-viral, would
create the same kinds of risks as are present in the vaccine context.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<HR ALIGN="LEFT" SIZE="1" STYLE="width: 5pc; margin-top: 12pt">

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><SUP>1</SUP> <FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04575584;
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04575597; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04405739</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify"><SUP>2</SUP> <FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">https://www.biospace.com/article/merck-and-ridgeback-s-molnupiravir-shows-promise-in-covid-19/</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify"><SUP>3</SUP> <FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">http://news.emory.edu/stories/2020/06/coronavirus_research_at_emory/</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify"><SUP>4</SUP> <FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/06/11/coronavirus-drug-ridgeback-biotherapeutics/</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><SUP>5</SUP> <FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/merck-to-help-produce-johnson-and-amp-johnson-s-covid-19-vaccine-barda-to-provide-merck-with-funding-to-expand-merck-s-manufacturing-capacity-for-covid-19-vaccines-and-medicines/</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">&nbsp;</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">&nbsp;</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: center"><FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">We are not asking for authority to vote your proxy and no proxy cards
will be accepted. Please vote your proxy according to the instructions in Merck&rsquo;s proxy statement.&nbsp;</FONT></P>

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<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in"><FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: 10pt">Public
outrage over unaffordable treatments and the impact on access can harm corporate reputation and lead to legislation and regulation, which
impairs long-term value creation. The pharmaceutical industry was not widely admired before the pandemic. In 2019, the industry&rsquo;s
reputation, as measured in an annual Gallup poll, fell below that of all other industries and even the federal government, driven by
its role in the opioid crisis and controversies regarding high drug prices.</FONT><SUP>6</SUP> <FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: 10pt">It
improved its ranking modestly in 2020, moving up one spot amid greater public appreciation for its contributions during the pandemic.<SUP>7
</SUP>That modest gain could evaporate if the public believes that companies are taking actions that threaten access to vaccines and
treatments.</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-indent: 0.5in"><FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #212121">Already,
the fact that many vaccine makers have received government support for research and development as well as manufacturing has garnered
significant public attention. An op-ed in <U>The New York Times</U> noted that Moderna, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca all benefited from government
funding: &ldquo;</FONT><FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: 10pt">In other words, the vaccines developed
by these companies were developed thanks wholly or partly to taxpayer money. Those vaccines essentially belong to the people &mdash;
and yet the people are about to pay for them again, and with little prospect of getting as many as they need fast enough.&rdquo;</FONT><SUP>8</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; background-color: white; color: #212121"><B>&nbsp;</B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in"><FONT STYLE="color: #212121">Backlash
against high treatment prices or refusal to share intellectual property could spur legislative or regulatory measures. A bipartisan bill
was introduced in the House and Senate, the &ldquo;Make Medications Affordable by Preventing Pandemic Price Gouging Act of 2020,&rdquo;
which would &ldquo;require any COVID-19 drug developed in whole or in part with Federal support to be affordable and accessible by prohibiting
monopolies and price gouging.&rdquo;<SUP>9</SUP></FONT> The TRACK Act would create a database detailing &quot;federal support of COVID-19
biomedical research and development,&rdquo; including financial support and full terms of agreements between the federal government and
drug makers along with &quot;associated clinical trial data and patent information.&rdquo;<SUP>10</SUP></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left; color: #212121">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in"><FONT STYLE="color: #212121">These
risks argue in favor of fuller disclosure by Merck. </FONT>Merck does not disclose whether or how it considers the role played by public
funding in making decisions affecting access. Those decisions include pricing, not just now but after the pandemic has ended, and the
sharing of intellectual property to combat supply shortages. In its Statement in Opposition to the Proposal, Merck touts its &ldquo;Access
to Health Guiding Principles,&rdquo; but they are very general and do not address the role of public funding.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><B>We therefore urge shareholders to vote FOR Item
5. </B></P>



<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"></P>

<HR ALIGN="LEFT" SIZE="1" STYLE="width: 5pc; margin-top: 12pt">

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><SUP>6</SUP> <FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">https://news.gallup.com/poll/266060/big-pharma-sinks-bottom-industry-rankings.aspx</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><SUP>7</SUP> <FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">https://news.gallup.com/poll/319256/farming-rises-sports-tumbles-industry-ratings.aspx</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><SUP>8</SUP> <FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">https://nyti.ms/33Py7Cp</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><SUP>9</SUP> <FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-116hr7296ih/summary</FONT><FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">;
https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-116s4439is</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><SUP>10</SUP> <FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">H.R.7288
- Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge Act of 2020: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7288</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">&nbsp;</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: left"><FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">&nbsp;</FONT></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: center"><FONT STYLE="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, Serif">We are not asking for authority to vote your proxy and no proxy cards
will be accepted. Please vote your proxy according to the instructions in Merck&rsquo;s proxy statement.&nbsp;</FONT></P>

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<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">Sincerely,</P>


<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">Robert Wotypka, OFM Cap.</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">Corporate Responsibility Agent</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0">Province of Saint Joseph of the Capuchin Order</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"><B>&nbsp;</B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"><B>&nbsp;</B></P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0"><B>NOTE: This is not a solicitation of authority to vote your proxy.
Please DO NOT send us your proxy card; the Province of Saint Joseph of the Capuchin Order is not able to vote your proxies, nor does this
communication contemplate such an event. The Province of Saint Joseph of the Capuchin Order urges shareholders to vote for Item 5 following
the instructions provided on management's proxy mailing.</B></P>



<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="font: 10pt Times New Roman, Times, Serif; margin: 0pt 0; text-align: justify">&nbsp;&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="text-align: center; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0">We are not asking for authority to vote your proxy and no proxy cards
will be accepted. Please vote your proxy according to the instructions in Merck&rsquo;s proxy statement.</P>

<P STYLE="margin: 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="margin: 0">&nbsp;</P>

<P STYLE="margin: 0"></P>

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