Merck Healthcare Korea said it held an internal event to mark World Cancer Day (Feb. 4), highlighting patient-centered treatment values and supporting the healthy daily lives of cancer patients and their families.
This event was planned as part of the “United by Unique” campaign, launched by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) for World Cancer Day and running since 2025. The Merck Group has participated in this campaign since last year.
This year, under the theme “Your Story Will Change Minds,” the company is running the “Upside Down Challenge (Life Turned Upside Down by Cancer Challenge).” By visualizing lives completely turned upside down by cancer through inverted imagery, the challenge aims to spread empathy and solidarity for the daily difficulties patients and their families face during cancer treatment.
Merck is adopting a patient-centered approach globally to help more cancer patients maintain healthy daily lives even during treatment.
Merck operates various programs, including the “Patient 360° Program,” an integrated approach considering the entire patient journey, which incorporates patient and caregiver input into key decision-making; “Bold Directions,” a strategic framework for long-term cancer treatment strategy that sets clinical priorities and treatment development direction; fostering a corporate culture that balances patient treatment and work environments; and providing support to alleviate family caregiving burdens.
Through these initiatives, Merck aims to continuously strengthen its support system, going beyond providing innovative treatments to holistically consider the treatment experience and quality of life throughout the entire patient journey, Merck Healthcare Korea explained.
Last Wednesday, Merck Healthcare Korea employees, led by the Oncology Business Unit, participated in the challenge, resonating with the global campaign’s purpose. Under the vision of “helping more cancer patients become cancer survivors,” employees created photo tiles to support patients and their families on their cancer treatment journey, reaffirming their commitment to spreading patient-centered treatment values.
“This event was a meaningful time for Merck Korea employees to reaffirm our goal of ‘One Heart for Patients,’” said Lee Soo-kyung, executive director of Merck Korea Healthcare’s Oncology Business Unit. “Merck Korea Healthcare will continue striving to improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for domestic cancer patients while making every effort to help patients and their families enjoy ordinary daily life.”
World Cancer Day, designated annually on Feb. 4, is an international observance established at the “World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium,” held in Paris, France, in 2000. It aims to raise awareness about cancer and encourage prevention, early diagnosis, and active treatment.
Merck Healthcare Korea supplies Bavencio (avelumab) for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, Tepmetko (tepotinib) for locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with confirmed MET exon 14 skipping, and Erbitux (cetuximab) for RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer.
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