Merck and Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, which has a tradename of MSD outside of the U.S. and Canada (“Merck”), provides this Consumer Health Data (“CHD”) Privacy Policy (“CHD Policy” or “Policy”) to provide information to consumers whose CHD is collected, controlled, processed, and/or shared by Merck pursuant to applicable U.S. law.
Merck collects the following categories of consumer health data:
- Medical, physical and mental health conditions, and biometric information;
- Precise location information that could reasonably indicate your attempt to acquire or receive health services or supplies;
- Information that could identify your attempt to seek health care services; and
- Any inferences of the above categories of consumer health data derived or extrapolated from non-health information, such as cookies and other tracking technologies on our websites and mobile apps if you provide your express permission for our collection.
Merck collects consumer health data from the following categories of sources:
- Directly from you when you share it with us, from your interactions with our products and services;
- Through our websites and mobile apps if you provide your express permission for collection of your health data by us and our business partners. With your permission, we and our business partners may collect your health data over time and across different internet websites or online services when you use any internet website or online service of the regulated entity; and
- From our business partners.
Merck shares the following categories of consumer health data with third parties and affiliates (as defined herein):
- Medical, physical and mental health conditions, and biometric information;
- Precise location information that could reasonably indicate your attempt to acquire or receive health services or supplies;
- Information that could identify your attempt to seek health care services; and
- Any inferences of the above categories of consumer health data derived or extrapolated from non-health information, such as cookies and other tracking technologies on our websites and mobile apps if you provide your express permission for our collection.
Merck shares consumer health data with the following categories of third parties and affiliates:
- Merck affiliate (Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC);
- As legally required in relevant legal proceedings and otherwise to the extent required or explicitly authorized by applicable law; and
- To other companies we collaborate with solely for activities related to products and services jointly offered or developed by us and that company.
Merck collects, processes, and shares consumer health data for the following business purposes:
- Patient assistance, prescription discount and reimbursement support programs;
- Communicating information about diseases, products and services through our web sites, via e-mail, direct mail and other channels.
- Health educational programs, publications and tools online and offline;
- Auditing our programs and resources for compliance and security purposes; and
- As required or expressly authorized by laws applicable to our business globally.
Your Choices and Rights:
You have the privacy rights below that you can exercise concerning your consumer health data.
- Right to confirm and access your consumer health data, including a list of all third parties and affiliates with which Merck has shared the consumer health data. By exercising this right, you can confirm whether Merck is collecting or sharing consumer health data and request a list of third parties with whom Merck has shared your consumer health data. Merck does not sell your consumer health data.
- Right to correct your consumer health data.If your consumer health data we hold is inaccurate and you would like us to rectify it, you may submit a correction request here by selecting your request type as “Right of correction” and providing requested information.
- Right to withdraw consent from collection or sharing of your consumer health data at any time.
- Right to delete your consumer health data.
- Right to appeal a decision by Merck not to comply with your exercise of any of these rights. You can exercise the right via our online portal by selecting “Other” as the request type and providing the other required personal information.
You can exercise these rights here by selecting the right you would like to exercise and providing the requested information, which will be used to verify your identity and to match the personal data we have about you. For more information on your data subject rights, you can contact Merck via email at merck_privacy_office@merck.com or at Merck Privacy Office, UG4B-24, 351 N. Sumneytown Pike, North Wales, PA 19454.
If you choose to exercise any of these rights, we will not charge you different prices or provide different quality of services unless those differences are related to your information such as loyalty programs or discount programs.
Once we receive your request, we may request additional information from you to verify your identity and confirm that the request is valid. If you are seeking to use an agent to exercise your rights, that authorized agent should exercise your rights in the same manner you would under this Policy. Merck may request evidence that you have provided such agent with power of attorney or that the agent otherwise has valid written authority to submit requests to exercise rights on your behalf.
We may update this Policy periodically in response to changing laws, regulations, and industry practices. We reserve the right to modify, add or remove portions of this Policy at our discretion. If we decide to change this Policy, we will post the updated version on www.msdprivacy.com. If the changes are material, we will contact you directly where we have your contact information and appropriate under applicable law, and we will post the changes prior to the effective date of the change.
Effective date of the Policy: March 31, 2024