We’re accelerating our global efforts and capabilities with our new London Discovery Research Centre and U.K. headquarters
November 10, 2023
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Using the power of leading-edge science to help save and improve lives means tapping into scientific talent around the world. That’s why we’re proud to break ground on our new London Discovery Research Centre and U.K. headquarters.
The high-profile site — located opposite King’s Cross Station in the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter, an impressive cluster of academic, scientific and technological institutions — will be an impactful addition to our growing network of research facilities.
“Our talented discovery scientists in London are an integral part of our global research network.”
Dean Li President of MSD Research Laboratories
“Patients around the world are waiting for innovations that will help confront the tremendous burden of disease they face, and the kind of world-class scientific exploration this facility will enable is how we accelerate those innovations,” Li added.
Slated to open in 2027, the 270,000-square-foot, 10-story facility will bring together all our U.K. colleagues to help drive medical advances against some of today’s greatest health challenges.
“With the benefit of London’s thriving life sciences ecosystem and Knowledge Quarter right on our doorstep, I’m excited about the collaboration opportunities, building toward an exciting new chapter, and what this represents for employees and our partnership with the local community and beyond,” said Ben Lucas, managing director, U.K. and Ireland.
How you can help slow the threat of antimicrobial resistance
The growing burden of AMR is threatening the return to a world without effective antibiotics
October 31, 2023
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Before antibiotics were discovered in the 20th century, contracting an infection could be fatal. Their discovery was a turning point in human history, revolutionizing medicine and saving countless lives. However, the growing burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is threatening the return to a world without effective antibiotics.
We all have a responsibility to address this threat, and it will take dedicated efforts from all sectors across health care, including patients, to make a difference.
Here are four groups that can play a role in helping slow the threat of AMR:
01.
Patients
Be vigilant in infection prevention efforts and always use antibiotics correctly
We each play an important role in slowing the threat of AMR— starting with preventing infections that require antibiotics in the first place. Washing hands, preparing food hygienically and keeping up to date with vaccinations are all measures to help avoid infections.
Another important action patients can take is using antibiotics only when they’re needed. Always follow health care providers’ (HCPs) directions and never share or take leftover antibiotics, which may not be needed and may cause resistance. If your HCP believes antibiotics are not the correct treatment to help your condition, ask about other options. Taking antibiotics when they’re not needed may advance AMR. Bottom line: It is important to follow the guidance that your medical team gives you for treatment.
02.
Health care professionals
Be a source of antibiotic guidance
HCPs and medical systems need to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics. It’s up to the health care providers to help ensure that the right treatment is given based on an accurate diagnosis. Hospitals should have a plan in place, with principles customized to their local needs, to guide the appropriate use of these medicines.
03.
Policymakers
Encourage antimicrobial innovation
We need new antibiotic options to stay ahead of the evolving bacteria. Governments can help. Incentive packages can provide a sustainable return on investment for the development of new antimicrobials. Encouraging innovation would allow companies to invest in the research and development needed. As a result, this would help provide health care professionals around the world with the tools they need to help patients fighting infections.
04.
Industry leaders
Invest in new developments
Finally, the participation of leading biopharmaceutical companies is crucial to addressing the growing threat of AMR.
For more than 100 years, MSD has played a significant role in the discovery and development of novel medicines and vaccines to combat infectious diseases. And, in an effort to affect widespread change, we’ve supported efforts around the world that aim to address AMR through surveillance initiatives, collaborating with hospitals to fund education and implement stewardship programs, and advocating for substantial policy changes.
There is no single solution to the complex problem of AMR; it’s up to all of us to take collective action. We hope you’ll join our efforts and play your individual part to help ensure that patients have access to the antibiotics they need, now and in the future.
Understanding adult pneumonia: causes, symptoms and risk factors
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can cause serious complications
October 31, 2023
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What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is an infection of one or both lungs that can make it difficult to breathe and limit your ability to get sufficient oxygen.
What are the signs and symptoms of pneumonia?
Pneumonia can present differently in people based on a variety of factors, but common symptoms include:
Fever
Wheezing / difficulty breathing
Cough
Chills
Rapid breathing
Chest pains
Confusion
Loss of appetite
Which adults are most at risk?
Anyone can get pneumonia, but older adults are particularly at risk.
Medical conditions such as diabetes, chronic heart disease, COPD and HIV can also increase risks of pneumonia — even in younger adults.
What can cause pneumonia?
There are two main types of pneumonia — viral pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia.
Bacterial pneumonia is often caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Pneumococcal pneumonia is one of the most common infections caused by this bacteria.
How does pneumonia spread?
Viral and bacterial pneumonias are contagious. People who are infected can spread the virus or the bacteria with respiratory droplets in the air when they cough, sneeze or talk. People can occasionally catch pneumonia by touching something that has the virus or bacteria on it and then touching their noses or mouths.
Ask your health care provider for more information.
The basketball legend and businessman talked DE&I, HIV advocacy and leadership in an inspiring visit to our global headquarters
October 30, 2023
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It was a full-circle moment for Dr. Yvonne Ukwu when she joined a recent fireside chat with sports legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson at MSD’s Rahway, New Jersey, headquarters.
Ukwu was one of many who packed the room as Johnson shared stories from both his career and personal life, ranging from being a leader on the court and an early HIV/AIDS activist to defying expectations with a pivot from basketball to business.
“I like when someone tells me no. It makes me work harder,” said Johnson. “They told me there’s no way at 6’9” that I could play point guard in college or the NBA. I did. My own teammates told me that I could not be a businessman. Here I am.”
"When someone tells me no, I want to prove to them that yes I can — and I just go to work.”
— Earvin "Magic" Johnson
His words hit home for Ukwu, an associate principal scientist at MSD. Her mother was our company’s regulatory liaison to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during the approval of our first HIV treatment in 1996, and today Ukwu works with our HIV team, following in her mom’s footsteps.
“The messages he shared speak to both our company’s longstanding commitment to the HIV space and our support of diversity, equity and inclusion to create opportunities for physician women of color and other underrepresented people. In turn, this helps us better serve our patients and customers,” said Ukwu. “As a family physician who’s worked in various cities, I know how important it is to learn about and understand your patients and the community in order to provide appropriate and effective care.”
(Photo: Magic Johnson and Dr. Yvonne Ukwu)
Understanding your customers
Johnson, whose visit helped celebrate the culmination of our company-wide Global Diversity & Inclusion Experience Month, shared several key messages that spoke directly to our company’s purpose to save and improve lives.
According to Johnson, being on the ground and understanding your customers is a key to success. It helps you identify the best ways to serve them, communicate with them and meet their needs.
“You don’t become a trusted brand and a trusted company if you don’t over deliver,” Johnson said.
As an HIV activist, Johnson visits urban neighborhoods and listens to people’s questions and concerns and provides educational information about the virus. By sharing his story and openly discussing HIV, he also helps address the stigma often associated with it.
Investing in communities and building diverse teams
As chairman and CEO of SodexoMagic — MSD’s integrated facilities management partner — Johnson is committed to uplifting communities, advocating for equity, ensuring inclusion and being a force for change. Our company has worked with diverse suppliers like SodexoMagic for nearly 40 years.
“Sourcing products and services from diverse suppliers creates jobs and increases economic opportunities for underrepresented communities,” said Celeste Warren, VP of global diversity and inclusion. “To understand our diverse customers and to engage with them in pursuit of our work to help save and improve lives, we must have diverse perspectives at the table. That means embracing diversity within our own team and with our supplier partners.”
Inspiring and energizing the crowd
Johnson’s visit, which included many high-fives, chest bumps and selfies, and his messages energized and inspired the crowd. Some of our colleagues posted on their LinkedIn profiles:
“I’ve been a Lakers fan forever, an admirer of his consistent commitment to HIV awareness, and a student of his business acumen and success. Today he reiterated that diversity and inclusion is a business imperative that’s been critical to his success.”
Ainka Gonzalez Associate director, HIV marketing
“They call him Magic. Unforgettable close to our GD&I Experience Month at MSD….From the hardwood to the boardroom, ‘talent is never enough — the best performers are always the hardest workers.’”
Mike Diaz Senior specialist, omnichannel content capabilities
“Magic Johnson inspired everyone at MSD today! Sharing his message of hard work, determination, and achieving goals in the face of adversity.
Magic paved the way on so many business and cultural fronts in the world, he truly is a hero!”
Christina E. Mikhelashvili Senior specialist, clinical research
MSD’s Q3 2023 results reflect sustained growth, particularly in oncology and vaccines. Our company announced Q3 worldwide sales of $16.0 billion, an increase of 7% from Q3 2022.
“Our strong results this quarter reflect our talented team’s commitment to bringing forward important innovation and pursuing breakthroughs for all those who count on us,” said Rob Davis, chairman and chief executive officer, MSD. “We continue to push the boundaries of science, making disciplined investments to augment our diverse pipeline and applying our expertise to accelerate potentially transformative treatments to address patient needs — including through our recently announced collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo. I am proud of our progress as we continue to execute at the highest level and work to generate strong and sustainable value, today and well into the future.”
MSD anticipates full-year 2023 worldwide sales to be between $59.7 billion and $60.2 billion.
Take a look at the infographic below for more details on Q3 2023 results.
Staying positive with pulmonary arterial hypertension
From struggling to breathe to advocating for others, one woman with PAH shares her story
October 24, 2023
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A decade ago, Nola Martin was having trouble breathing, and she was gaining weight. She assumed it was simple: She started to focus on improving her diet and getting more exercise, but she wasn’t seeing results.
“Little did I know the situation was a lot more serious than that,” she said.
Martin was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and scleroderma. PAH is a disease of high blood pressure in the lungs. Her PAH was associated with scleroderma, a connective tissue disease that can affect the skin, blood vessels and organs and can cause PAH.
“I had two illnesses, and I had no idea what they were from. How did I get them? I was hearing all these terms I’d never heard of before.”
Nola Martin
Finding the right care
Martin said that the confusion and complexity of having two chronic diseases made the beginning of her journey the most challenging. Through her experience with PAH, she said she learned that “you must find a facility that is familiar with your disease.” She recommends the Pulmonary Hypertension Association as a great place to start learning about PAH.
While she knows her PAH is progressive, she chooses to stay positive.
“What I learned about advocating for myself with PAH is that no one is going to fight as hard for me as I will,” said Martin. “I know my body. I know when something is different, but I also know that my doctors are not mind readers. If I don’t share with them what is going on, including the smallest details, they can’t give me the proper treatment I need.”
Staying hopeful through connection
It’s important to Martin to connect with other PAH patients and educate people about the disease.
Since her diagnosis, she’s educated numerous people about PAH and scleroderma. She believes in the importance of raising awareness and telling her story. It’s sometimes hard for her to explain to people that even if she doesn’t appear sick, she may still be dealing with difficult symptoms.
“PAH has affected so much of my daily life — simple things like vacuuming, doing the laundry, taking a shower and going to the grocery store,” Martin said. “I encourage others to be understanding and avoid making assumptions about a person with PAH based on their outward appearance.”
She urges people to be supportive and listen when someone shares their story.
A physician committed to advancing pneumococcal disease research
Dr. Kristen Feemster and her team work to help address pneumococcal disease for people of all ages
October 20, 2023
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Before becoming an executive director of global medical affairs at MSD, Dr. Kristen Feemster practiced as a pediatric infectious disease physician. Early in her career, Feemster and her team cared for a 1-year-old patient suffering from pneumococcal meningitis. Sadly, the child succumbed to his illness. Feemster recalls the emotions she felt knowing her own son of about the same age could also be at risk.
“I could barely stay in the room to talk to the child’s parents. As a parent myself, seeing them go through such a devastating loss led me to ask why this happened and what could have prevented the outcome,” said Feemster.
“I was determined to do what I could to help protect people of all ages from pneumococcal disease and its impact.”
At MSD, Feemster and her team work to better understand and communicate the continued epidemiologic impact of pneumococcal disease across all stages of life.
“Knowing that pneumococcal disease remains a leading cause of illness and death globally, I’m inspired by the opportunity to help address challenging and emerging diseases,” she said.
While some factors, like age or underlying medical conditions, can increase the risk of contracting an infection, anyone can get pneumococcal disease.
Noninvasive pneumococcal disease, such as otitis media or pneumonia, are also important contributors to morbidity in children. Recent reports suggest IPD remains a concern and certain serotypes continue to emerge as prevalent causes of serious disease with sometimes life-threatening complications.
Feemster and her MSD colleagues remain committed to addressing pneumococcal disease in people of all ages.
“Too many people worldwide don’t have access to effective treatment and supportive care,” she said. “It’s important that we continue to improve surveillance capabilities and explore this bacterium with such a complex epidemiology. We have learned a great deal, but there is so much left to understand and more that we can do.”
A colleague transformed personal grief and tragedy into a lifelong mission to help persons living with HIV
October 17, 2023
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Richard Liu’s work in HIV began in 1988, and it’s continued to this day.
“At the time, many members of the community were not only scared and frightened about HIV, but many of them were suffering from either the disease itself or the discrimination and bias directed toward them,” Liu said. “For me, education and outreach was a way to feel empowered and to empower members of my community.”
He also experienced firsthand how devastating HIV could be, falling in love with a man he’d eventually lose to AIDS.
“I found my strength when I looked back and thought about all the situations that Scott and I faced, I learned I was stronger than I ever believed I was,” Liu said. “And I kind of knew after that I needed to do something more. My purpose at that time was loving and caring for him until the end, and I needed to find another purpose. And that purpose became fighting HIV.”
Liu followed that purpose into a role as one of Philadelphia’s youngest HIV program directors, focusing on promoting prevention, testing and care. His passion eventually brought him to MSD, where he is a member of our global marketing division assigned to the HIV franchise, leading the development of promotional content for health care providers.
“I'm doing exactly what I've always wanted to do: be useful, be valuable and use what I can to fight HIV. And I've been given this incredible role at this company to do that.”
— Richard Liu
As a part of the MSD team, Liu, now happily married, has always felt he could bring his authentic self to work — and that feeling started during his interview with a recruiter. There were some moments in his personal history during his earlier work as an AIDS activist that he knew he’d have to explain.
“I wanted to disclose my arrest record because I thought it might come up in a background check,” Liu explained. “I was charged with obstruction of highway because I was participating in AIDS protests, so I wanted to be clear why I was arrested and given those charges.”
The instinct to be candid was a good one, he learned. “When I was offered the job, I really felt like, wow, this company is willing to recognize my authentic self, including my activism.”
Liu’s estimation of MSD and our values — and the part he can play in the work we do for patients — hasn’t changed.
“I feel like my fight against HIV is perfectly aligned with our company’s commitment toward innovation and to persons living with HIV,” he said.
Are you passionate about building a meaningful career?
Diagnosing cancer early, before it has spread, may potentially lead to better outcomes
October 16, 2023
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Time is important with a cancer diagnosis. People with cancer may have the opportunity for better outcomes when the disease is detected early. And with increases in routine cancer screening, more cancer cases can be diagnosed before the disease has spread to other parts of the body.
“We’ve seen incredible progress in the fight against cancer in recent decades, driven by advances in early detection and the availability of new treatment options,” said Dr. Scot Ebbinghaus, vice president, oncology clinical research. “This progress makes me optimistic for a future where cancer is detected and treated as early as possible, giving patients the greatest chance to live cancer-free. We can’t rest now — I’m hopeful that we will continue to build on what we’ve learned about helping people with earlier stages of disease.”
But important work remains to continue to improve care and diagnose cancer early.
What is early-stage cancer?
After someone is diagnosed with cancer, doctors will try to figure out how much cancer is in the body and if their disease has spread — this process is called staging, which can help guide treatment decisions. Different cancer stages have different treatments and possible outcomes, and they’re associated with different odds of recurrence.
Early-stage is a term that can be used to describe cancer that’s early in its growth, before it has spread to other parts of the body. However, each person’s experience with cancer is unique, and what doctors may define as early-stage can vary by the type of cancer.
When cancer is diagnosed, the goals of treatments are to slow, stop and possibly eliminate tumor growth.
Treatment may be more likely to be successful if it’s started before the cancer has spread, when surgery is a potential option. However, even after surgery, there is a risk that the cancer may spread to other parts of the body. Additional treatment may help lower that risk. In certain instances, other treatment options can be used before surgery (neoadjuvant) to help to reduce the size of the tumor, and/or after surgery (adjuvant) to lower the chance of the cancer from potentially coming back.
Detecting and treating cancer early may help reduce the risk of recurrence and increase the potential for survival.
MSD’s legacy of antimicrobial innovation and action
Delivering on our commitment to fight infectious diseases for more than a century
October 12, 2023
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For more than 100 years, MSD has contributed to the discovery and development of novel medicines and vaccines to fight infectious diseases. With the growing burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), we’ve focused on stopping the increasing threat of AMR.
1930s
MSD Research Laboratories played a central role in the development of sulfas, the first synthetic antimicrobial.
1940s
In collaboration with Rutgers University, we developed streptomycin, the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis. We also helped to develop one of the first methods for mass production of penicillin.
1950s & 1960s
We developed multiple novel methods to prevent infectious diseases, including pediatric vaccines.
1970s & 1980s
We received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for two vaccines, as well as three antibiotics that treat a variety of bacterial infections.
1990s & 2000s
MSD received U.S. FDA approval for two antifungals, as well as licenses for two vaccines.
2002
With resistance to antibiotics developing faster through people, animals and the environment, we launched one of the world’s largest and longest-running antimicrobial resistance surveillance studies. Called the Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends (SMART), the program enables researchers to monitor and identify trends in the development of AMR.
2010s
We launched an Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Investigator Initiated Studies program, supporting investigator-based, peer-reviewed research supporting the implementation of AMS principles across the globe, with over 20% of studies occurring in low-and middle-income countries.
2016
We created the MSD Exploratory Science Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, focusing on the earliest stages of research into the underlying biology of human disease.
2016-2017
We supported the first United Nations high-level meeting on AMR and subsequent political declaration in 2016, which set policy action on AMR in motion.
As a next step, we joined the newly founded AMR Industry Alliance – a network of over 100 pharmaceutical industry partners working to provide sustainable solutions to help curb antimicrobial resistance.
2020
MSD, along with a group of more than 20 leading biopharmaceutical companies, launched the AMR Action Fund to bring 2-4 new antibiotics to patients by the end of the decade.
2020s
Our staff have championed government actions to create supportive markets for antimicrobial innovation, including the PASTEUR Act in the U.S., inclusion of transferable exclusivity extensions in the EU pharmaceutical strategy, and other incentives around the world.
By collaborating with policymakers, MSD aims to improve appropriate antibiotic use globally.
Going forward
In recognition of our leadership in both human and animal health, MSD represents industry in the One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, which advocates for a One Health approach to help ensure antibiotics remain an important tool in improving and maintaining human and animal health.
