Announced recently. In addition, Sitagliptin, the Company's treatment of type 2 diabetes, received the 2007 Award for Best Pharmaceutical Agent. Both were presented at a ceremony in New York City recently.

"We are thrilled that both Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (Types 6, 11, 16, 18) Recombinant Vaccine and Sitagliptin received top honors in their respective categories at this year's Prix Galien USA. We congratulate the hard working and dedicated teams who developed these two products," said Richard T. Clark, Merck's chairman, president and chief executive officer.

Former Merck CEO P. Roy Vagelos, M.D., was also honored at the ceremony with the prestigious Pro Bono Humanum Award in recognition of his dedication to improved global health through the campaign to eliminate river blindness (onchocerciasis) - a campaign that continues to receive Merck's full commitment and support. "We also congratulate Dr. Vagelos on his well-deserved award. His timeless dedication to the elimination of river blindness is a goal Merck shares and to which we remain committed," Mr. Clark said.

Merck announced in 1987 it would donate ivermectin for the treatment of onchocerciasis, one of the leading causes of preventable blindness worldwide, to all who need it for as long as necessary until the disease is eliminated as a public health problem. Now in its 20^th year, the program currently reaches more than 60 million people each year for the treatment of river blindness. In Africa, the program has contributed to enormous progress in greatly reducing skin disease and visual loss, preventing an estimated 40,000 cases of blindness annually in endemic countries. It has also contributed to the recovery of more than 60 million acres of previously abandoned arable land.

Prix Galien USA

The Prix Galien recognizes the pharmaceutical industry's outstanding achievement in the development of new medicines. An internationally recognized award, the Prix Galien was founded in France in 1969 by French pharmacist, Roland Mehl, and the 2007 ceremony was the Prix Galien's inaugural event in the United States. The Prix Galien, often considered the industry's equivalent of the Nobel Prize, is the highest accolade for pharmaceutical research and development.