Merck & Co Inc (MRK)

What is Merck & Co. and where do they work?

Merck & Co. is a global healthcare company, based in Kenilworth, New Jersey, the USA with operations spanning 140 world countries. In the USA and Canada, the company is known under the name Merck, whereas elsewhere it is known under the brand MSD.

With over 125 years of history, the company was established in its current form in 1891. Its roots go much further back as the company originated as Angel Pharmacy in 1654 but was acquired in 1668 by Jacob Friedrick Merck inspiring the name Merck which is it known as today. The company has grown immensely from its humble beginnings and currently employs approximately 69,000 people across its sites worldwide.

How does Merck & Co. operate?

Striving to make a difference in people lives worldwide, they discover, produce and acquire licensing for innovative medicines, vaccines and animal health care products.

Today, as a prominent research-intensive biopharmaceutical company, Merck is concentrated on achieving scientific improvements in the fields of diabetes treatments; infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, HIV and antimicrobial resistance methods; vaccines; oncology; cardiovascular disease; sleep disorders; women’s health and animal health.

What is the aim of Merck & Co.?

‘Inventing for life’ is Merck’s motto. It is integrated across their brand through their medical programmes with a major focus on the vision, mission and values of the company. Merck also implemented a corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy to support these aims and boasts achievements in 4 key areas: Access to Health, where 188 million have been reached through their programmes and partnerships; Ethics and Transparency, 99% employees trained in our code of conduct; Environmental sustainability, 2.5 billion gallons of water saved over the past 6 years; and Equality, with 34% executive roles held by women.

What is the difference between Merck & Co. Inc. and Merck Group of Darmstadt?

Unusual as it seems, the two Mercks operate in the same industry, with the same clients, at times with each other and both use the market ticker MRK. However, they are entirely separate companies.

The trouble originated in Germany, with the formation of a company by the Merck family. This company, during WWI, split into two. Now, Merck & Co. is known as Merck in the US and Merck Sharp & Dohme outside of the US, whereas Merck Group of Darmstadt is known as Merck in Europe but EMD in the US.

This confusion has led to many long-standing issues between the companies and external stakeholders.

Where is Merck & Co. traded?

Merck & Co. (MRK) is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Find out more about the Merck & Co. share price with Capital.com.