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Privacy Policy of Merck Frosst for External Persons and Customers

Summary

Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. ("Merck Frosst") is committed to ensuring the protection of Personal Information that you provide to us. ("Personal Information" is any information about an identifiable individual.) This commitment is more than simply a legal requirement; it is an ethical and business responsibility that we take seriously. For over one hundred years, respecting the confidentiality of individuals has been one of the cornerstones of our business philosophy. Our philosophy, based on this foundation of integrity and trust, has helped us build the enduring relationship that we have today with people inside and outside of our organization.

The Privacy Policy of Merck Frosst for External Persons and Customers is consistent with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act1, Québec's Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector2 and British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act3 ("Policy"). The Policy details our privacy commitment to you.

1 S.C. 2000, c.5.
2 R.S.Q., c. P-39.1.
3 37 Parliament, 4th Legislation session, third reading: October 6th, 2003.

Below is a summary of the principles which highlight our Policy.

  1. Accountability: At Merck Frosst, accountability with the privacy principles rests with our Chief Privacy Officer, even though other individuals within Merck Frosst may be responsible for the day-to-day collection and processing of your Personal Information. At Merck Frosst, we ensure that our employees and Agents (as defined in the Policy) respect your privacy through corporate policies, guidelines and formal and informal training.

  2. Identifying purposes: Merck Frosst will identify and inform you of the purposes for which your Personal Information is collected at or before the time it is collected. Merck Frosst collects the Personal Information that is necessary for its business functions or services. Unless required by law, Merck Frosst shall not use or disclose, for any new purpose, the Personal Information that has been collected without first identifying and documenting the new purpose and obtaining your consent.

  3. Consent: Your knowledge and consent are required for the collection, use or disclosure of your Personal Information.

  4. Limiting Collection: Merck Frosst will limit the collection and use of Personal Information to that which is needed for the identified purposes or to comply with local law, and any such information will be obtained only by lawful and fair means.

  5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention:

    Limiting Use: Merck Frosst uses your Personal Information only for the identified purposes for which it was collected or for a related purpose one would reasonably expect.

    Limiting Disclosure: In general, Merck Frosst does not reveal specific information about an individual's records or other Personal Information to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use without the individual's consent except in certain limited circumstances when provided by law or when such third parties act as Agents (as defined in the Policy) of Merck Frosst.

    Limiting Retention: Personal information shall be retained only as long as necessary to fulfil the identified purposes or in accordance with applicable laws or corporate policies.

  6. Accuracy: Merck Frosst will strive to maintain your Personal Information accurate, complete and up-to-date. In many cases, Merck Frosst will rely upon you to provide accurate and complete information and to advise Merck Frosst if circumstances change over time.

  7. Safeguards: Your Personal Information shall be protected by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. Merck Frosst will take appropriate steps to ensure that your Personal Information is protected from unauthorized access and disclosure, including limiting access to such information only to those who have a business need to know.

  8. Openness: Upon your written request, Merck Frosst will provide you with information about its policies and practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of your Personal Information. Your Personal Information is mainly located at the offices of Merck Frosst in Montréal, Québec. However, your Personal Information may also be located with the Affiliates (as defined in the Policy) of Merck Frosst (including Merck & Co., Inc.) so that they can process your Personal Information to meet the identified purposes or for back-up purposes.

  9. Individual Access: You are entitled to challenge the accuracy and completeness of your Personal Information and have it amended as appropriate, subject to some exceptions as prescribed by law. Upon your written request, we will inform you of the existence, use and disclosure of your Personal Information and you shall be given access to that information. A reply will be provided to you within thirty (30) days after the written request for access or rectification has been received.

  10. Challenging Compliance: At Merck Frosst, we want you to understand our commitment to privacy. For any request or complaint related to the Policy or your Personal Information, please contact the Chief Privacy Officer at:

    Chief Privacy Officer
    Phone : (514) 428-8574
    Facsimile: (514) 428-4925
    E-mail:

This Policy may be updated from time to time. Please consult the Chief Privacy Officer for the most up-to-date version. If there are any inconsistencies between this summary and the Policy, the terms of the Policy shall prevail.

Privacy Policy of Merck Frosst for External Persons and Customers

At Merck Frosst, we understand and respect that your privacy is important to you. We limit the collection of your Personal Information to what is necessary to fulfill the identified purposes. We use and share Personal Information that you provide to us only in ways that we tell you about. We safeguard Personal Information that you provide to us to prevent it from being used and shared for other purposes.

Respect for the privacy of Personal Information about you is very important to us. Merck Frosst is committed to collecting, maintaining, and safeguarding Personal Information about you in accordance with this Policy, as well as applicable laws, rules and regulations. This Policy applies to Personal Information collected from you through a variety of ways including through forms, surveys, meetings with our Merck Frosst representatives, and participation in Merck Frosst sponsored events and studies.

Please read this Policy carefully. Should you have any questions about this Policy or our data collection, use and disclosure practices, please contact the Chief Privacy Officer at the address below.

"Merck Frosst" means Merck Frosst Canada Ltd.

"Affiliates" means Merck & Co., Inc., and any legal person related to Merck Frosst including without limitation: its subsidiaries, successors, sister companies, parent companies, divisions and groups worldwide and joint ventures to which it is a party.

"Agent" means any third party that collects, uses or retains personal information under the instructions of, and solely for, Merck Frosst or to which Merck Frosst discloses personal information for use on its behalf (e.g., a contract research organization or stock option administrator).

This Policy is effective as of January 1st, 2004

  1. How does this Policy define "Personal Information"?

    The term "Personal Information " as used throughout this Policy, applies to any information that identifies an individual.

    Examples of Personal Information include but are not limited to: contact information (such as personal postal address, personal email address, personal telephone number) date of birth, professional credentials, marital and family status, hobbies and interests.

  2. How does Merck Frosst collect Personal Information?

    Merck Frosst collects Personal Information through a variety of ways. You may fill out a questionnaire which asks about your opinions or your experience to determine whether you qualify in participating in a research study or a special course. You may participate in a conference where you will be asked to fill out a form so that you can be further contacted for future events. Or, it might be more informal where you might be meeting or talking by phone to one of our representatives who will take down notes so that future services can be better customized to your actual needs.

  3. Why does Merck Frosst collect, use and disclose Personal Information?

    Merck Frosst collects Personal Information for the following purposes:

    • To provide products, services and features that you have requested; for example, educational literature and related information about the pharmaceutical business of Merck Frosst, questionnaires, and surveys;

    • To analyze your Personal Information to understand your needs and eligibility for products and/or services as well as to identify and offer additional services and promotions that we believe you might find interesting;

    • To develop, enhance, market or provide our products and services; and

    • To meet legal and regulatory requirements.

    or for such other purposes as are described at any point where Merck Frosst collects the Personal Information from you. Your Personal Information will not be used for any other purpose without your consent.

  4. Does Merck Frosst consolidate Personal Information?

    Consistent with the purposes identified and standards set within this Policy and other applicable privacy notices and/or consent forms that have been or will be provided, in some cases Merck Frosst consolidates and uses Personal Information that individuals share with Merck Frosst through various services and channels, such as the telephone, surveys and questionnaires, in order to enhance the quality of services that we offer.

  5. What choices do I have about how Merck Frosst collects, uses and discloses Personal Information about me?

    Your Personal Information will be collected with your knowledge and consent in accordance with the applicable legislation. You have three categories of choices. They are:

    5.1  No Personal Information collection: You may choose not to provide any Personal Information to Merck Frosst by refusing to answer any questions posed to you by sales representatives or through forms, surveys and questionnaires. However, this may affect our ability to provide our services to you or the quality of such services.
      5.2  Limitations and options regarding uses and disclosures for other purposes: Some Merck Frosst representatives or forms may request your permission to use and disclose Personal Information about you in order to add you to our contact lists, and to identify and offer additional services and promotions that we believe you might find interesting. You can limit the use of Personal Information about you by refusing your permission to the representative for certain uses and disclosures or by checking or un-checking options provided at the time that you provide such information.
      5.3  Withdrawal of your consent: If ever you decide that you prefer us not to use or disclose your Personal Information, please advise us by contacting in writing the Chief Privacy Officer at the address below. Unless we are permitted by law to refuse your request, we will honour your withdrawal request.

  6. Who will have access to Personal Information about me?

    Personal information about you will be accessible to Merck Frosst, including its Affiliates, and to individuals and organizations that use personal information solely for and at the direction of Merck Frosst. Uses and disclosures of personal information by external individuals and organizations acting on the behalf of Merck Frosst are governed by contracts that require personal information to be protected appropriately. Personal information about you will only be used by Merck Frosst and individuals and organizations working on its behalf and disclosed by Merck Frosst to individuals and organizations working on its behalf, in a manner consistent with this Policy, other applicable privacy notices, and as explicitly permitted or required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. Furthermore, use of personal information is limited to those employees of Merck Frosst and its Agents who have a "need-to-know".

  7. Does Merck Frosst share Personal Information with third parties?

    In general, Merck Frosst does not reveal specific information about an individual's records or other Personal Information to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use without the individual's consent except in certain limited circumstances when provided by law or when such third parties act as Agents (as defined in the Policy) of Merck Frosst. If you do not wish Merck Frosst to provide your Personal Information to Agents please advise in writing the Chief Privacy Officer at the address stated below.

  8. How does Merck Frosst safeguard Personal Information?

    Merck Frosst will take reasonable steps to protect your Personal Information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. We accomplish this through physical safeguards like access cards and locked cabinets as well as through technological safeguards for Personal Information retained in electronic format. We also train our employees with respect to their privacy responsibilities on a regular basis, through formal and informal training.

  9. How may I access and correct Personal Information about me?

    To gain access to Personal Information about you and to keep it accurate, complete and current, please write to the Chief Privacy Officer at the address below. A reply will be provided to you within thirty (30) days after the written request for access or rectification has been received. If for some reason the Chief Privacy Officer cannot provide access, he will write you and provide the reasons for the refusal. Some reasons why access would be limited or denied may be because such access or correction would inhibit the ability of Merck Frosst to comply with a legal obligation, inhibit its ability to investigate, make or defend legal claims; or result in disclosure of Personal Information about a third party.

  10. Where and how long is my Personal Information kept?

    Your Personal Information is mainly located at the offices of Merck Frosst in Montréal, Québec. However, your Personal Information may also be located with the Affiliates of Merck Frosst (including Merck & Co.) so that they can process your Personal Information to meet the identified purposes or for back-up purposes.

    Your Personal Information will not be kept for periods longer than are necessary to fulfill the identified purposes.

  11. What is the contact address at Merck Frosst for privacy questions?

    Should you have questions about this Policy or the information collection, use and disclosure practices of Merck Frosst, you may contact in writing the Chief Privacy Officer at:

    Chief Privacy Officer
    Phone : (514) 428-8574
    Facsimile: (514) 428-4925
    E-mail:

    The Chief Privacy Officer maintains documentation and materials related to privacy policies and practices and is responsible for training Merck Frosst staff for compliance with this Policy. Where applicable, please inform the Chief Privacy Officer of the resource to which you provided the information, as well as the nature of the information that you provided. The Chief Privacy Officer will use reasonable efforts to respond promptly to the request, complaints, questions or concerns you may have regarding our use of Personal Information about you. Except where required by law, Merck Frosst cannot ensure a response to questions or comments regarding topics unrelated to this Policy or the privacy practices of Merck Frosst.

  12. How will I know whether Merck Frosst has updated this Policy?

    Merck Frosst may update this Policy periodically. Merck Frosst reserves the right to modify, add or remove portions of this Policy at its discretion. Please inquire in writing with the Chief Privacy Officer for the most recent version of this Policy so you will always know what information we gather and our practices and procedures with respect to Personal Information.
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This site is for residents of Canada. / This site was updated on November 24th, 2008.