Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, today launched Your Hive of Whole Health, a multi-year educational program that helps people living with HIV build personalized networks of support to address their physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being. Unveiled at the 2026 U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) in Anaheim, California, Sept. 17-20, 2026, the initiative aims to honor the strides made toward ending the epidemic while emphasizing that future progress depends on a collective focus on whole person health.

“This new campaign from Merck equips community leaders and advocates to help meet the diverse needs of those we serve,” said Harold Phillips, CEO of NMAC. “At NMAC, we have made whole person health a top strategic priority because ending the HIV epidemic requires addressing the physical, mental, behavioral, emotional, and social factors that shape health. USCHA is where our community comes together to learn, heal, and envision the future of HIV advocacy, making it the perfect place to launch Your Hive of Whole Health. By helping people build a personalized network of care and support, Merck’s campaign reinforces our shared commitment to working towards the day that everyone can thrive.”

Inspired by the strength of hives and the collaboration needed to keep them healthy, Your Hive of Whole Health offers tools, resources, and support to encourage people living with HIV to identify, build, and nurture their own “Hive”—personal care circles that may include healthcare providers, community advocates, family, and peers. Having a comprehensive team and support in place and understanding the role each member plays is an important step toward achieving this goal, particularly for people navigating HIV while getting older, who may be experiencing co-occurring health conditions or other challenges.

“True health is about the whole person—their mind, body and spirit,” said legendary advocate Debbie Allen. “My journey with the HIV community began during a time of fear and crisis, but today we are championing a new era of joy, inclusion, and well-being. This campaign is a reminder that when we care for the whole individual, we strengthen the entire Hive.”

The program will be featured at a premier plenary session at USCHA on Sept. 19, hosted by Debbie Allen and other advocates across the HIV community. Aligned with this year’s theme for the meeting—United and Unbreakable, the HIV Movement at 45—the session will feature prominent voices who will reflect on their journeys spanning the last four decades and be complemented by uplifting cultural performances to celebrate community resilience. The session will also offer purposeful moments for attendees to connect, learn, and discover their unique role within the greater Hive.

“The HIV response has always been driven by the community, for the community, and we are grateful to the advocates and organizations who helped us build Your Hive of Whole Health,” said Conrod Kelly, HIV Business Unit Lead, U.S., Merck. “Together, we look forward to broadening the discussion around HIV management to include factors such as managing one’s mental wellness, co-occurring conditions, social drivers, and other life challenges, in addition to viral suppression, and to ensuring people have the tools they need to get the support that they deserve.”

Your Hive of Whole Health was created by Merck alongside an advisory council of community organizations and advocates to support people living with HIV as they care for their whole selves—mind, body, and spirit. For more information, visit HiveofWholeHealth.com.

Merck’s Commitment to HIV

For more than 40 years, Merck has been committed to research and discovery in HIV leading to scientific breakthroughs that have helped change HIV treatment. Our work has helped pioneer the development of new options across multiple drug classes to help those impacted by HIV. Today, we are developing a series of antiviral options for both HIV treatment and prevention. We’re inspired by the lived experiences of the HIV community as we advance research with real life in mind. Our work focuses on potentially transformative innovations, collaborations with others in the global HIV community, and access initiatives to help end the HIV epidemic.

About Merck

At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline candidates that the candidates will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be commercially successful. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).

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