Form 8-K
8-K — Merck & Co., Inc.
Accession: 0000310158-26-000237
Filed: 2026-10-13
Period: 2026-10-09
CIK: 0000310158
SIC: 2834 (PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS)
Item: Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers: Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers
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8-K — mrk-20261009.htm (Primary)
EX-99.1 (exhibit9911.htm)
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8-K
8-K (Primary)
Filename: mrk-20261009.htm · Sequence: 1
mrk-20261009
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) October 13, 2026 (October 9, 2026)
Merck & Co., Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
New Jersey
1-6571
22-1918501
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) (Commission File Number) (I.R.S Employer Identification No.)
126 East Lincoln Avenue
Rahway
New Jersey
07065
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip Code)
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) (908) 740-4000
Not applicable
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report.)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock ($0.50 par value) MRK New York Stock Exchange
3.250% Notes due 2032 MRK/32 New York Stock Exchange
2.500% Notes due 2034 MRK/34 New York Stock Exchange
1.375% Notes due 2036 MRK 36A New York Stock Exchange
3.500% Notes due 2037 MRK/37 New York Stock Exchange
3.700% Notes due 2044 MRK/44 New York Stock Exchange
3.750% Notes due 2054 MRK/54 New York Stock Exchange
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
(d) Incorporated by reference is a press release issued by Merck & Co., Inc. (the “Company”) on October 13, 2026, attached as Exhibit 99.1, announcing the election of Paul J. Diaz to the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), effective November 1, 2026. The Board appointed Mr. Diaz as a member of both the Audit Committee and the Research Committee of the Board.
For his service on the Board, Mr. Diaz will receive compensation as a non-employee director in accordance with the Company’s non-employee director compensation practices described under the “Director Compensation” section of the Company’s definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 8, 2026.
Mr. Diaz has no arrangements or understandings with any other person pursuant to which he was elected to the Board, nor does he have a relationship or related transaction with the Company that would require disclosure pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K of the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with his appointment as a director of the Company.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
Exhibit 99.1 Press release issued October 13, 2026
Exhibit 104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Merck & Co., Inc.
Date: October 13, 2026
By: /s/ Kelly E. W. Grez
Kelly E. W. Grez
Corporate Secretary
EX-99.1
EX-99.1
Filename: exhibit9911.htm · Sequence: 2
Document
Exhibit 99.1
- 1 -
News Release
____________________________________________________________________________
Paul J. Diaz Elected to Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA Board of Directors
RAHWAY, N.J., Oct. 13, 2026 – Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that Paul J. Diaz, managing partner at Cressey & Company, will join the Company’s Board of Directors effective Nov. 1, 2026. He will stand for election by the company’s shareholders in May 2027. With the addition of Mr. Diaz, the Merck board will consist of 14 members.
“We are pleased to welcome Paul Diaz to our Board. Paul brings extensive leadership and business expertise in the healthcare industry, and we look forward to his contributions and insights,” said Rob Davis, chairman and chief executive officer.
Mr. Diaz is a managing partner at Cressey & Company, a private investment firm focused on investing in and cultivating high-quality health care firms. He previously served as president and chief executive officer of Myriad Genetics, Inc., a leading genetic testing and precision medicine company. Before that, he served as president and chief executive officer of Kindred Healthcare, a Fortune 500 healthcare services company. Mr. Diaz also serves on the Board of Centene Corporation, the Board of Trustees of Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Board of Visitors of the Georgetown University Law Center. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from American University and a J.D. from Georgetown University.
About Our Company
At Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, 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.
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
Exhibit 99.1
- 2 -
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 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).
###
Media Contacts:
Investor Contacts:
Michael Levey
michael.levey@msd.com
John Cummins
john.cummins2@msd.com
Peter Dannenbaum
(732) 594-1579
Steven Graziano
(732) 594-1583
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