Merck Annual Report 2000

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Merck & Co., Inc. is a global, research-driven pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of human and animal health products, directly and through its joint ventures, and provides pharmaceutical benefit services through Merck-Medco Managed Care.

Dear Shareholder:
Each year we face a dilemma: how to tell you in the short printed space available about many of our exciting successes and initiatives. That’s why, over the years, the Annual Report has expanded. This year brings a bold shift: our Annual Report is slimmer by 12 pages, yet you have access to more information than ever through dynamic web technology.
All the vital information about how your Company fared in 2000 is in your hand. However, when you see this

icon that’s an indication there’s additional information you may find of interest on the Web. You can access that information by typing in the accompanying URL or by turning to www.anrpt2000.com.
If you would like a printout of the Web pages, return the enclosed self-addressed reader reply card and we’ll send you a printout of the Web version. Also use the card to tell us what you think of this new information initiative.

—The Editors

“We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits. The profits follow, and if we have remembered that, they have never failed to appear. The better we have remembered that, the larger they have been.”

—George W. Merck, 1950

On the cover:
Four breakthrough vaccines under development: Kara Punt, virologist in Virus and Cell Biology, seeks a vaccine that will stop HIV/AIDS in its tracks. Our HIV/AIDS vaccine is just one of four investigational vaccines that we have moved into development. The other three are: human papillomavirus vaccine, which might help prevent genital warts and cervical cancer; a vaccine for herpes zoster (shingles) for adults; and a vaccine for rotavirus, the most common cause of severe diarrhea in infants and children. We invest heavily in vaccines because they represent the most effective means of eliminating or reducing the incidence of widespread infectious diseases.