Alaska is a vast state with extremes in weather and terrain. For people living in its 240 remote villages and communities, obtaining lifesaving medicines can be a challenge. And extreme challenges call for innovative solutions.

To help, we teamed up with the University of Alaska, a drone provider, local governments and others to demonstrate the use of drones to increase access to medicines in a proof-of-concept project. The drone was outfitted with thermal protection system packaging for the safe delivery of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals.

Drone technology expands access to medicines where it’s needed most

For our colleague and drone project adviser Leslie Brunette, this is the culmination of work that began more than a decade ago in her hometown of Fargo, North Dakota.

“I was introduced to a young man from a tribal community, and his grandmother had invited me to go and visit him,” said Brunette, who also serves as the global lead for Merck’s Native American and Global Indigenous People employee business resource group. She explained that the young man suffered from a chronic illness, and the remote location of his community meant a trek of two to three hours to be able to access health care. A few years later, he became sick and had to be moved off of the reservation to receive care.

“When he passed away, because of how much we learned about his family and his culture, I knew that more needed to be said and needed to be done. So I made that commitment to continue to try and be a voice that raised and elevated the awareness of indigenous communities across the United States and the world.”

From dog sleds to drone delivery

It’s not the first time we’ve found an innovative way to deliver health care to families in Alaska. The annual Iditarod race commemorates a 1925 sled dog team relay that brought an antitoxin produced by Merck legacy company H.K. Mulford to Nome through blizzard conditions to help fight a deadly epidemic.

We’re proud of our company’s long history of expanding access to medicines and vaccines and working with our partners to create innovative solutions to help people in need.

Learn more about Merck’s Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) approach by visiting merck.com/company-overview/esg.

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Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc.

At Merck, 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. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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