The Consumer Health of Merck Walks the Talk with its WE100 Movement

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DARMSTADT, Germany, January 18, 2018 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

- Consumer Health accelerates its WE100(R) movement by launching new

partnership programme with pharmacists in the UK on enabling 100 years of

healthy living

- Femibion(R) celebrates working mums with new "MumPlus" campaign

- Expansion of Vitamin D brand Vigantol(R) via the launch of Vigantolvit(R)

Merck, a leading science and technology company, leverages its Consumer Health

business' strong momentum, by launching several new programmes for the WE100

umbrella movement of the business and for two of its iconic brands. The We100

movement was established to bring the Consumer Health business purpose to life

which aims to help prepare society for a new era of humans living 100 healthy

years.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/628079/Merck_Role_of_Pharmacy.jpg )

New partnership program with UK pharmacists on healthy living

After publishing a whitepaper

(http://www.merckgroup.com/en/expertise/consumer-health/our-consumer-health-deba

te/white-paper.html ) in November 2017 shedding light on how to prepare younger

generations to live 100 healthy years, the Consumer Health business of Merck

continues to pursue its ambitious goal to help bridging the gap between "living

longer" and "living longer and healthier". To this end, the business has

renewed its partnership with pharmacists, by launching the new "Young for Old,

Old for Young" dedicated training program in the UK.

The program focuses on supporting pharmacists to tackle specific challenges

faced by ageing consumers, such as poor nutrition. According to the British

Nutrition Foundation, a risk of malnutrition exists for as many as one in seven

elderly people[1]. Thanks to the "Young for Old, Old for Young" dedicated

training program, pharmacists will be able to improve their skills in

recognizing the need for and providing consumers with the appropriate health

and nutritional advice.

Uta Kemmerich-Keil, CEO and President of Merck Consumer Health, commented: "The

philosophy behind WE100 is rooted in the belief that as people live longer

lives, doing so as healthily as possible needs to be a top priority for all

generations". In the UK, the WE100 program gained support and attention from

policy makers, such as the member of parliament (MP) Eleanor Smith(Labour).

"MumPlus" campaign by Femibion celebrates working mothers

A recent survey[2] by Femibion - a leading multivitamin for pregnancy and a

strategic brand of the Consumer Health business - revealed that 62% percent of

women believe having children will halt or delay career progression. Femibion

therefore decided to call for a fundamental change of narrative in the

workplace, to one where motherhood is rightly valued and something to be proud

of. In the survey, 94% of women agreed with this objective, whilst admitting

that reality did not always meet their expectations.

Through a series of creative videos, the brand wants to share the reassuring

message that it should be a dualism of "motherhood AND career", not a decision

between "either or". A MumPlus campaign LinkedIn page

(https://de.linkedin.com/company/mumplus ) has been launched to inspire women

to show support for the campaign and encourage employers to think differently

about the working mothers around them. To further carry the campaign's message,

a LinkedIn "badge" was developed which working mothers can add to their

profile. By displaying the badge users can express that motherhood can add

value to the workplace. Femibion continues to lead the way for digital

transformation of the business, focusing the essential part of its marketing

efforts on engaging with consumers online, for example through starting a

discussion on LinkedIn, a crucial platform for working mums who are building

their professional profile online.

Successful brand expansion keeps the spirit of Vigantol intact

Vigantol, the No1 Vitamin D brand in Germany[3], successfully expanded its

range with the launch of the food supplement Vigantolvit in Germany (2000 IU).

This new product introduction contributed to a very strong double-digit growth

of the brand in the market.

The recently launched Vigantolvit campaign is intended to showcase that a

healthy and conscious lifestyle can help you prepare for an active future. The

campaign is centred around a 60-year-old grandmother who continues to go

surfing alongside her daughter and granddaughter. The campaign further

illustrates the desire of Vigantolvit to help to bring generations together by

enjoying an active lifestyle. based on the claim "Young with old. Old with

Young.", the campaign is fully in line with Consumer Health´s purpose to help

prepare society for a new era of humans living 100 healthy years.

About Merck's Consumer Health Business

The Consumer Health business of Merck aims at helping to prepare society for a

new era of humans living 100 healthy years. For this purpose, the business

supports the so-called WE100(R) movement meant to activate projects and

communication efforts accordingly. The leading "lovebrands" of Merck's Consumer

Health business, such as Neurobion(R), Bion(R), Nasivin(R), Seven Seas(R),

Dolo-Neurobion(R), and Femibion(R) support this overarching purpose through

consumer-inspired innovation. - The Consumer Health business is with over 3,800

employees globally active in over 40 markets. The portfolio comprises of brands

with annual total sales of over $ 1 billion. Consumer Health is a business of

the Healthcare business sector within the Merck Group with global headquarters

in Darmstadt, Germany. For more information please go to

http://www.merck-consumer-health.com or https://twitter.com/merck_ch

All Merck Press Releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become

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About Merck

Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science

and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop

technologies that improve and enhance life - from biopharmaceutical therapies

to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific

research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD

televisions. In 2016, Merck generated sales of EUROS 15.0 billion in 66

countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical

company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed

corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The

only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as

EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

1. British Nutrition Foundation (2016). Older adults [online]. Available at:

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritionscience/life/older-adults.html?limit=1&start=5

[accessed 13 Feb. 2017].

2. Femibion survey conducted in 2017 in Germany

3. Insight Health Marktdaten, ehem. VIGANTOLETTEN(R), Absatz MAT 08/2017

Contact: Lars Atorf, +49-6151-856-3114

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160524/371574LOGO )

SOURCE: Merck