Merck Sharp and Dohme reports on corporate responsibility progress

Merck Sharp and Dohme has highlighted its progress towards addressing its four corporate responsibility priority areas in a new report for 2011.

The company's global corporate responsibility performance breakdown for the year showed that it has achieved a series of positive steps in improving access to health, environmental stability, employee rights, and ethics and transparency.

Last year, a total of 273 million people were reached through its major responsibility programmes and partnerships, with 51,600 healthcare workers trained and $34.7 million (21.39 million pounds) invested in alliances to address underlying barriers to health.

Of the top 20 global disease burdens, 53 percent are being addressed by Merck Sharp and Dohme products, while global corporate giving came to $1.3 billion last year.

Additionally, the firm was able to reduce global water use by one billion gallons in 2011, while increasing female representation in executive roles to 35 percent.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Merck Sharp and Dohme will be donating more than 460,000 doses of Gardasil to aid a cervical cancer vaccination programme in Uganda.