BEIRUT, October 8, 2020 – MSD, (known as Merck & Co., Inc., in the United States and Canada) announced today that it has contributed medicines worth US$2.8 million and US$300,000 in cash to aid the humanitarian response to the explosion in Beirut on August 4th.
The donations have gone towards supporting the communities affected by the devastating warehouse explosion that killed close to 200 people, leaving thousands of others injured and homeless in the Lebanese capital.
“Our heartfelt condolences go to those who lost family members in the explosion,” said Okan Isikci, Managing Director of MSD Levant. “MSD is committed to supporting the people of Beirut through this very challenging time. We hope that the contributions of our company and its employees around the world will help to get this wonderful city back on its feet as soon as possible”.
The product (medicines) donations for disaster relief are made through our company’s U.S. based, long-term non-governmental organization (NGO) partners Direct Relief, AmeriCares, and Project Hope. These NGOs are working in partnership with local relief groups and the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health to assess the need for medicines following this tragic event.
Our cash contribution of US$300.000 made through the American Red Cross to support the humanitarian relief and recovery efforts will be used by the Lebanese Red Cross to provide direct financial assistance to the most vulnerable families that were affected by explosion, and to sustain the vital ambulance and blood transfusion services that are provided by the Lebanese Red Cross to the population all across Lebanon.
Hassan Bibi Policy, Market Access and Communication Director at MSD Levant highlighted “we will continue to monitor the situation and together with our NGO partners we will do everything we can to provide support that will be most useful to those affected by the disaster.”
In addition, Mr. Georges Kettaneh, Secretary General of the Lebanese Red Cross, emphasized the commitment of the organization to contribute to the recovery of at least 10,000 of the most vulnerable families, for a minimum of 6 months. “We know that this will be a difficult and costly operation, but the solidarity that we have seen across the world with the people of Beirut has allowed us to make this major commitment.”
About MSD
For more than 125 years, MSD has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. MSD is a trade name of Merck & Co., Inc., with headquarters in Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, MSD continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. For more information, visit www.msd-levant.com and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.