Merck 2010 Annual Report Download - page 216


 A company that, due to its minor significance, is not included in the scope of consolidation.
 A company in which another entity holds a significant portion of the voting shares, but does not exert control
over or jointly manage.

 A collective term for similarly acting drugs that act as inverse agonists on the body’s beta receptors and thus
inhibit the effect of stress hormones (notably, norepinephrine and epinephrine). They lower the heart rate and
blood pressure, decrease the strength of heart beat, and reduce the heart’s excitability.
 Abbreviation for tetrahydrobiopterin, a key co-enzyme in amino acid metabolism. BH4 lowers the blood
phenylalanine levels in patients with BH4-responsive phenylketonuria.
 The term refers both to substances in the body and cell properties. Biomarkers can help doctors to identify a
patient’s disease. Certain genes tend to play a role in the treatment of cancers, in terms of whether they are
“normal” (wild type) or have undergone transformation (mutant).

 Equals cash receipts minus cash payments over a given period of time.
 Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use: a scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency.
It prepares the Agency’s opinions and handles the authorization and risk assessment of medicinal products.
 A commercial paper program provides the contractual framework for the issuance of commercial paper,
which is a short-term debt instrument issued by a corporation.
 This term refers to compliance with laws and regulations as well as with voluntary codices that are internal
to the Merck Group. Compliance is an element of diligent corporate governance.
 This term covers compliance with laws and regulations; the application of recognized standards and
recommendations; the development of and adherence to internal guidelines; as well as the creation and
implementation of guideline and control structures.
 The financial scope up to which a bank has agreed to grant a loan to a borrower is referred to as a credit
line or credit facility. A credit line is a revolving credit: the borrower can continuously draw funds and make
payments until the term expires or the credit line is terminated.

 Deutscher Aktienindex (German stock index): Its value is based on the stock prices of the 30 largest
German companies by trading volume and free float market capitalization.
 A debt issuance program provides the contractual framework for the issuance of bonds. Thanks to the
current terms and conditions, the program allows the company flexibility when issuing bonds.
 The ratio of the dividend per share. to the share price.

212 Merck Annual Report 2010