The Consumer Health of Merck Walks the Talk with its WE100 Movement

DARMSTADT, Germany, Jan. 18, 2018 /CNW/ -

• Consumer Health accelerates its WE100^® movement by launching new partnership programme with pharmacists in the UK on enabling 100 years of healthy living
• Femibion^® celebrates working mums with new "MumPlus" campaign
• Expansion of Vitamin D brand Vigantol^® via the launch of Vigantolvit^®

Merck, a leading science and technology company, leverages its Consumer Health business' strong momentum, by launching several new programmes for the WE100 umbrella movement of the business and for two of its iconic brands. The We100 movement was established to bring the Consumer Health business purpose to life which aims to help prepare society for a new era of humans living 100 healthy years.

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New partnership program with UK pharmacists on healthy living

After publishing a whitepaper (http://www.merckgroup.com/en/expertise/consumer-health/our-consumer-health-debate/white-paper.html) in November 2017 shedding light on how to prepare younger generations to live 100 healthy years, the Consumer Health business of Merck continues to pursue its ambitious goal to help bridging the gap between "living longer" and "living longer and healthier". To this end, the business has renewed its partnership with pharmacists, by launching the new "Young for Old, Old for Young" dedicated training program in the UK.

The program focuses on supporting pharmacists to tackle specific challenges faced by ageing consumers, such as poor nutrition. According to the British Nutrition Foundation, a risk of malnutrition exists for as many as one in seven elderly people¹. Thanks to the "Young for Old, Old for Young" dedicated training program, pharmacists will be able to improve their skills in recognizing the need for and providing consumers with the appropriate health and nutritional advice.

Uta Kemmerich-Keil, CEO and President of Merck Consumer Health, commented: "The philosophy behind WE100 is rooted in the belief that as people live longer lives, doing so as healthily as possible needs to be a top priority for all generations". In the UK, the WE100 program gained support and attention from policy makers, such as the member of parliament (MP) Eleanor Smith(Labour).

"MumPlus" campaign by Femibion celebrates working mothers

A recent survey² by Femibion - a leading multivitamin for pregnancy and a strategic brand of the Consumer Health business - revealed that 62% percent of women believe having children will halt or delay career progression. Femibion therefore decided to call for a fundamental change of narrative in the workplace, to one where motherhood is rightly valued and something to be proud of. In the survey, 94% of women agreed with this objective, whilst admitting that reality did not always meet their expectations.

Through a series of creative videos, the brand wants to share the reassuring message that it should be a dualism of "motherhood AND career", not a decision between "either or". A MumPlus campaign LinkedIn page (https://de.linkedin.com/company/mumplus) has been launched to inspire women to show support for the campaign and encourage employers to think differently about the working mothers around them. To further carry the campaign's message, a LinkedIn "badge" was developed which working mothers can add to their profile. By displaying the badge users can express that motherhood can add value to the workplace. Femibion continues to lead the way for digital transformation of the business, focusing the essential part of its marketing efforts on engaging with consumers online, for example through starting a discussion on LinkedIn, a crucial platform for working mums who are building their professional profile online.

Successful brand expansion keeps the spirit of Vigantol intact

Vigantol, the N^o1 Vitamin D brand in Germany³, successfully expanded its range with the launch of the food supplement Vigantolvit in Germany (2000 IU). This new product introduction contributed to a very strong double-digit growth of the brand in the market.

The recently launched Vigantolvit campaign is intended to showcase that a healthy and conscious lifestyle can help you prepare for an active future. The campaign is centred around a 60-year-old grandmother who continues to go surfing alongside her daughter and granddaughter. The campaign further illustrates the desire of Vigantolvit to help to bring generations together by enjoying an active lifestyle. based on the claim "Young with old. Old with Young.", the campaign is fully in line with Consumer Health's purpose to help prepare society for a new era of humans living 100 healthy years.

About Merck's Consumer Health Business

The Consumer Health business of Merck aims at helping to prepare society for a new era of humans living 100 healthy years. For this purpose, the business supports the so-called WE100^® movement meant to activate projects and communication efforts accordingly. The leading "lovebrands" of Merck's Consumer Health business, such as Neurobion^®, Bion^®, Nasivin^®, Seven Seas^®, Dolo-Neurobion^®, and Femibion^® support this overarching purpose through consumer-inspired innovation. - The Consumer Health business is with over 3,800 employees globally active in over 40 markets. The portfolio comprises of brands with annual total sales of over $ 1 billion. Consumer Health is a business of the Healthcare business sector within the Merck Group with global headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany. For more information please go to http://www.merck-consumer-health.com or https://twitter.com/merck_ch

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About Merck

Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life - from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2016, Merck generated sales of ? 15.0 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

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1. British Nutrition Foundation (2016). Older adults [online]. Available at: https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritionscience/life/older-adults.html?limit=1&start=5 [accessed 13 Feb. 2017].

2. Femibion survey conducted in 2017 in Germany

3. Insight Health Marktdaten, ehem. VIGANTOLETTEN®, Absatz MAT 08/2017

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SOURCE Merck