Merck Launches Partnership With Department of Health and Philippine Thyroid Association

Darmstadt, Germany And Manila, Philippines (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Merck Philippines joins forces with Health Department and Thyroid Association to
put spotlight on health and wellbeing of Filipino women

Merck Serono, the biopharmaceutical business of Merck, today
announced the launch of a partnership with the Department of Health,
Philippines, and the Philippine Thyroid Association (PTA). The
partnership focuses on the implementation of jointly agreed
activities to advance the diagnosis and treatment of the Filipino
population suffering from thyroid disorders. Specifically, the
partnership aims to increase population awareness of thyroid
disorders and to improve the capacity of health care professionals to
diagnose and manage thyroid disorders.

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"We believe that partnering with governments and patient
associations is fundamental to increase awareness around disease
symptoms and treatment options," said Belen Garijo, Member of the
Executive Board and CEO Healthcare of Merck. "We are very pleased to
join forces with the Department of Health and the Philippine Thyroid
Association to advance the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid
disorders across the Philippines and at the same occasion put a
spotlight on women's health and well-being as thyroid disorders are
one of the most prevalent yet untreated health disorders among women
in the country."

The launch of the partnership takes place in the context of the
Philippines hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
meetings this year. One specific topic - Healthy Women, Healthy
Economies - is being championed by the Philippines to bring to light
that increasing women's economic participation is important for
sustainable economic development. Ensuring the health of women is key
to economic empowerment.

"We are proud to be a key partner in the APEC Healthy Women,
Healthy Economies initiative and worked with the Philippines
Department of Health to help develop a policy toolkit which includes
access to thyroid treatment," added Belen Garijo. "The toolkit
provides evidence and good practices on how to improve women's health
for greater economic participation and ultimately higher economic
growth."

Paulyn Ubial for the Department of Health, Ruben V. Ogbac,
President of the PTA, and Belen Garijo, Member of the Executive Board
and CEO Healthcare of Merck, and Ramonito Tampos, President and
Managing Director Merck Inc. Philippines, were participating in the
partnership launch during which stories of women were presented who
were suffering from thyroid disorders and have been already
successfully treated.

The thyroid gland is located in the neck in front of the windpipe
and secretes hormones necessary for the body's growth and
development. Iodine Deficiency is the main cause of thyroid disorders
such as endemic goiter and hypothyroidism. An estimated 9 million
Filipinos suffer from goiter.[1] If left untreated hypothyroidism is
associated with a wide range of mild to severe health conditions
including among others heart disease, infertility, osteoporosis,
depression, poor memory and concentration. In children,
hypothyroidism cause delays in growth and development, as well as
intellectual impairment. [2] In pregnancy, hypothyroidism can
increase the risk of pre-eclampsia and may lead to miscarriage,
anemia as well as to low birth weight and neurocognitive defects of
newborn babies.[3] Hypothyroidism is eight to ten times more common
in women than men and there are certain times in a woman's life when
she is most vulnerable to thyroid problems, such as during pregnancy
and menopause.

References

1) Estimate based on Raboca et al. The Philippine Thyroid Diseases Study (PhilTiDeS 1)
: Prevalence of Thyroid Disorders Among Adults in the Philippines. JAFES.
http://dx.doi.org/10.15605/jafes.027.01.04 and Philippine Statistics Authority,
2010 Census-based Population Projections in collaboration with the Inter-Agency
Working Group on Population Projections
2) Counts, D; Varma, SK (Jul 2009). "Hypothyroidism in children". Pediatrics in Review 30
(7): 251-8. doi:10.1542/pir.30-7-251. PMID 19570923
3) Vissenberg, R; van den Boogaard, E; van Wely, M et al. (July 2012). "Treatment of
thyroid disorders before conception and in early pregnancy: a systematic review".
Human Reproduction Update (Review) 18 (4): 360-73. doi:10.1093/humupd/dms007
[http://humupd.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/4/360.long ].

About Merck Serono

Merck Serono is the biopharmaceutical business of Merck. With
headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, Merck Serono offers leading
brands in 150 countries to help patients with cancer, multiple
sclerosis, infertility, endocrine and metabolic disorders as well as
cardiovascular diseases. In the United States and Canada, EMD Serono
operates as a separately incorporated subsidiary of Merck Serono.

Merck Serono discovers, develops, manufactures and markets
prescription medicines of both chemical and biological origin in
specialist indications. We have an enduring commitment to deliver
novel therapies in our core focus areas of neurology, oncology,
immuno-oncology and immunology.

For more information, please visit http://www.merckserono.com.

All Merck news releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time
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Merck is a leading company for innovative and top-quality
high-tech products in healthcare, life science and performance
materials. The company has six businesses - Merck Serono, Consumer
Health, Allergopharma, Biosimilars, Merck Millipore and Performance
Materials - and generated sales of EUR 11.3 billion in 2014. Around
39,000 employees work for Merck in 66 countries to improve the
quality of life for patients, to foster the success of customers, and
to help meet global challenges. Merck is the world's oldest
pharmaceutical and chemical company - since 1668, the company has
stood for innovation, business success and responsible
entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70% interest, the founding
family remains the majority owner of the company to this day. Merck,
Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the Merck name and
brand. The only exceptions are Canada and the United States, where
the company operates as EMD Serono, EMD Millipore and EMD Performance
Materials.

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ots Originaltext: Merck Serono GmbH
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