Patient Engagement
Our commitment to putting patients first
At MSD, we are committed to working with patient groups to help support access to equitable care and improve health outcomes
Central to our work are the patients and communities we serve. From designing diverse and inclusive clinical trials for our medicines, to improving health literacy and overcoming barriers to patient access to services and treatments, we are committed to putting patients first.
“We try to remember that medicine is for the patient. 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.”
– George W Merck CEO 1929 –
Our core values are central to everything we do as a Company and are embedded in our every day activity: Patients first; Innovation; Scientific excellence; Ethics and integrity; Respect for people
The red chair Moment is an internal campaign. The physical red chairs, symbolising the patient and community voice, serve as a constant reminder to always consider patients in our actions and activities.
In order to better meet the current and future needs of patients, we are evolving our ways of working. We are constantly looking for innovative ways to partner with and amplify our communities’ diverse voices.
Here are some of the ways we are working with and on behalf of the patient:
Patient engagement
We have a long history of embedding patient and public engagement into our research, development, marketing and strategy, to ensure our services and treatments improve healthcare experiences and outcomes for the patients and communities we serve.
We believe that by listening to and partnering with the patients and the public, we can better understand how diseases impact their lives and can better support their needs. For example, involving patients in the development of medical education materials enables us to develop solutions which are genuinely helpful and meet their needs.
Patient advocacy
Our relationships with patient organisations help us to better understand the evolving needs of the patient communities we serve. Our aim is to support access to useful, accurate information and to advocate for improved health and advancements in patient care.
We work with a number of patient organisations on a variety of different projects. These include funding disease awareness campaigns and providing grants for specific projects which tackle health inequalities. You can learn more about our work with patient organisations and our grants & donations.
Are you a patient organisation or community group who are interested in working with MSD? Please contact our team.
Tackling health inequalities
Everyone should have equitable access to care. Our work in supporting patients includes publication of our Health Inequalities Report demonstrating the progress Cancer Alliances in England are making towards addressing health inequalities.
In collaboration with the Roy Castle Lung Foundation we have developed a Lung Cancer Carers booklet specifically aimed at supporting and guiding individuals who are caring for their loved ones with lung cancer and a Lung Cancer Pathways booklet designed for carers and patients to support their understanding of the patient journey.
Our aim is to inspire patient communities to engage proactively with healthcare systems and empower them to advocate for their own health.
Accessibility
Accessibility is key to our support for patients and at MSD we apply the latest accessibility standards to all our patient support materials and adopt a customer focused approach. We have trained our marketing teams on accessibility guidelines, simplified terminology for better patient familiarly, and aligned with NHS terminology standards.
Improving health literacy is crucial to our business and we are particularly keen to work with Patient Advisory Groups to validate the effectiveness of our materials so we can better empower patients to make informed healthcare decisions. We are a proud to have been awarded the Patient Information Forum Trusted Information Creator PIF TICK (read more below).
Patient information and literacy
MSD is proud to be a member of the Patient Information Forum (PIF) and to have been awarded the PIF Trusted Information Creator accreditation scheme (the PIF TICK), which is the UK’s only independently assessed quality mark and gold standard for trusted health information.
MSD was the first pharmaceutical company to complete accreditation to the PIF TICK. Being part of the scheme involves undergoing an independent assessment of our healthcare information processes and we have been successfully re-accredited for the 3rd year. This ongoing re-accreditation demonstrates our commitment to achieving excellence in the accuracy and simplicity of the healthcare information we provide to the public and patients in the UK.
We commit that our public-facing materials are produced in line with PIF’s criteria, ensuring that our information is accessible and accurate. This means that our health information is communicated clearly, written by experienced staff and based on up-to date evidence. MSD reviews all materials every 2 years to ensure they remain so.
For more information, visit The PIF TICK | Patient Information Forum (pifonline.org.uk)
Increasing awareness of a disease and providing educational information allows patients to increase their skills and knowledge and manage their health effectively. Read our recent stories to hear more about our work:
MSD’s Patient Engagement Group
Putting patients at the heart of everything we do is everyone’s responsibility. To empower colleagues across the business to engage in a meaningful way, a group of passionate leaders have come together to form MSD’s UK Patient Engagement Group.
The Patient Engagement Group leads, guides and embeds a broad understanding of patient and community journeys in our strategy and operations to promote a patient-focused and equitable environment across the UK. It ensures that we have robust processes in place to ensure we integrate diverse patient perspectives into our work.
The Red Chair Initiative was implemented in 2023, placing red chairs around our offices to visually remind everyone that when they see a red a chair they should think ‘Patients First’. All ‘Red Chair Moments’ of which we have had many significant ones since the scheme started are collated to share best practice.
Watch our video to hear from the UK Patient Engagement Group
Adverse events should be reported. Reporting forms and information can be found at https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. Adverse events should also be reported to Merck Sharp & Dohme (UK) Limited (Tel: 0208 154 8000).
Related Links
Third Party Organisations
Patient organisations are key to our partnerships and enable people to make informed choices about their health.
Grants
Our grants programmes support a range of projects which advocate for patient’s needs across the UK.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Supporting society, people and communities around the world is fundamental to our long-term success.
GB-NON-12196 | October 2025