A blog by Stefan Oschmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck

At Merck, we are determined to ensure that patients are better heard during every step of the drug development process. To us, listening to patients is about much more than clinical trials and capturing patient reported outcomes, vital as they are. We believe that involving patients in the drug development process shouldn’t stop there. What is just as important to us is a deeper appreciation of the challenges faced by both patients and their carers. After all, it’s this understanding of unmet needs that ultimately leads to better products and services for all those who are affected by the illnesses we aim to cure.