KENILWORTH, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that Dr. John H. Noseworthy, president and chief executive officer of Mayo Clinic, has been nominated to stand for election to the company’s board of directors. The annual election of Dr. Noseworthy and the other directors will take place in connection with Merck’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders on May 23, 2017. With the proposed addition of Dr. Noseworthy, and the planned retirement of C. Robert Kidder, the Merck board will include 13 members.

“We are pleased to nominate Dr. John Noseworthy to stand for election to the Merck board and look forward to benefiting from his first-hand insights about patient care and health care delivery as a leader of one of the largest non-profit health systems in the United States,” said Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman and chief executive officer, Merck.

Dr. John H. Noseworthy is president and chief executive officer of Mayo Clinic, a not-for-profit organization operating in five states that is dedicated to medical care, research and education. Prior to his current appointment, he served as chair of Mayo Clinic’s Department of Neurology, medical director of the Department of Development, and vice chair of the Mayo Clinic Rochester Executive Board. Dr. Noseworthy is a professor in the Department of Neurology and served as editor-in-chief for Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Dr. Noseworthy earned his medical degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He completed his neurology training at Dalhousie University and the University of Western Ontario, and a research fellowship at Harvard Medical School. He has received the Alumnus of the Year award from Dalhousie University, an honorary doctorate of science degree from the University of Western Ontario, and an honorary doctorate of laws from Dalhousie University. He also is a Health Governor of the World Economic Forum.

About Merck

For over a century, Merck has been a global health care leader working to help the world be well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, 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. 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 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).