Merck Completes Third and Final Registration Phase under the European Chemicals Regulation REACH

• More than 1,000 registration dossiers successfully submitted for safe use

Darmstadt, Germany, June 6, 2018 — Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced that it has successfully submitted a total of more than 1,000 registration dossiers under the European chemicals regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) by the end of the third and final registration deadline of May 31, 2018. This process also includes substances from Sigma-Aldrich, which were added to the existing portfolio of Merck as a result of the largest acquisition in the company’s 350-year history.

“Through the successful completion of the requested registrations, Merck presents itself as a reliable and competent partner to its customers and products sold by Merck comply with current requirements under REACH,” said Robert Nass, Senior Vice President, Quality and Regulatory Management at the Life Science business sector, and Andreas Kruse, Executive Vice President, Integrated Supply Chain at the Performance Materials business sector.

The registrations aim to ensure the safe use of chemicals in the marketplace. The basis for this is an extensive substance dossier. This dossier contains data on physico-chemical, toxicological and ecotoxicological properties, as well as on the use of a substance.

Even though the final registration deadline for REACH has been successfully met, REACH activities are not completed with the end of this transition period. New substances must be continuously registered and already existing registration dossiers constantly updated, or expanded by new data in the course of evaluations. This continues to ensure safe use of the substances as well as sustainable and responsible marketability of the products.

About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science, and electronics. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene-editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck generated sales of € 17.5 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics.