VICTRELIS® (boceprevir) awarded 2012 Prix Galien USA Best Pharmaceutical Agent

Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced today that VICTRELIS® (boceprevir) 200 mg Capsules, the company’s oral treatment for chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infection, in combination with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin has received the Prix Galien USA Award for Best Pharmaceutical Agent.

The Prix Galien USA Award recognizes the technical, scientific and clinical research skills and achievements necessary to develop innovative medicines and devices. It is considered the biomedical industry’s highest accolade.

“Merck is honored to have been chosen as a recipient of this prestigious award,” said Peter S. Kim, president of Merck Research Laboratories. “This achievement is a testament to the remarkable contributions of everyone at Merck who played a role in helping to bring VICTRELIS to market.”

The Prix Galien Award 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 is considered the highest accolade for pharmaceutical research and development.