Latest Merck Manual Delivers Trusted Health Care Information in Print and Electronic Formats
19th Edition of Medical Reference Includes Free Mobile App for One Year
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., July 27, 2011 - The 19th edition of The Merck Manual was published today, and although the trusted medical reference book has grown too large to be carried in a lab coat, it now comes with a free app for pocket mobile devices. This updated edition reflects progress in both medicine and technology as it keeps pace with many electronic platforms used to deliver information to health care professionals.
"The Merck Manual has always been intended to serve as the initial stop on the road to understanding for physicians, medical students, and other health care professionals who may encounter a topic for the first time or need to refresh their knowledge," said Editor, Robert S. Porter, M.D. "Adding the new free app makes it even easier to access the latest health care information in a mobile and readily accessible format."
The print edition of The Merck Manual contains nearly 4,000 pages written by more than 300 independent contributors-- all experts in their fields. It covers psychiatry, gynecology, pediatrics, pharmacology, and many other subjects not usually included in general medical texts. Its detailed index, thumb tabs, and page-specific cross references make it easy to search for specific information. A 16-page, full-color insert showing skin, eye, oral, and other disorders has been added along with a chapter about financial issues in health care, an appendix listing Normal Laboratory Values, and bulleted diagnosis and treatment summaries. A new geriatrics section includes a discussion of prevention of disease and disability in the elderly.
The Skyscape mobile version, available for Blackberry® and Android™ devices, the iPhone® and Windows Mobile® phones, and other popular platforms, uses technology to help transform the information found in The Merck Manual into actionable solutions. It includes interactive flowcharts to guide healthcare professionals through the clinical decision-making process. Full-color images help bring the content to life. Skyscape's smARTlink™ technology allows users to follow their natural workflow by linking clinical information found in The Merck Manual to relevant information in other Skyscape medical resources, such as drug and lab guides, treatment guidelines and journal summaries.
Trusted in Three Centuries
First published in 1899, The Merck Manual quickly became a favorite of those in need of a comprehensive, yet compact, medical reference. Dr. Albert Schweitzer carried the book to remote parts of Africa in 1913, and a copy accompanied Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his flight to the South Pole.
All Merck references are published as a not-for-profit service. Other professional titles are The Merck Manual of Patient Symptoms, The Merck Veterinary Manual and The Merck Index for chemists.
The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook rewords the medical terminology contained in The Merck Manual into everyday language for the layperson. The Merck Manual of Health & Aging is also written for a consumer audience.
The Merck Manual has been translated into 17 languages, and more than 10 million copies have been sold worldwide. The 19th edition costs $79.95 and may be purchased wherever books are sold or by visiting www.merckbooks.com.
About Merck
Today's Merck is a global healthcare 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 consumer care 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 healthcare through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. For more information, visit www.merck.com.
Merck Forward-Looking Statement
This news release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the merger between Merck and Schering-Plough, including future financial and operating results, the combined company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Merck's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: the possibility that the expected synergies from the merger of Merck and Schering-Plough will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation; the risk that the businesses will not be integrated successfully; disruption from the merger making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; Merck's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; dependence on the effectiveness of Merck's patents and other protections for innovative products; the risk of new and changing regulation and health policies in the United States and internationally and the exposure to litigation and/or regulatory actions.
Merck 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 Merck's 2010 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).
