Privacy Policy

This policy was last updated on 26 October, 2010.

Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (“MSD”) is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected and that it complies with its obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998, the Electronic Communications Directive (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 and other applicable laws, rules and regulations.

This policy applies to personal information (as defined below) collected from MSD online resources and communications that display a link to this policy. This policy does not apply to third-party online resources to which MSD’s websites may link, where MSD does not control the content or the privacy practices of such resources.

Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited is a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., of Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA (“Merck”). Personal information collected by MSD in the UK may be transferred outside of the European Economic Area (“EEA”), including to the USA. Merck has certified its adherence to the Safe Harbor framework for the transfer of personal information from the EEA to the USA. This policy is consistent with Merck’s Safe Harbor Privacy Policy.

The term "personal information" as used throughout this policy, applies to any information or set of information that identifies or that is used by or on behalf of MSD to identify an individual.

Information we collect from you:MSD collects personal information and other data that you may enter into forms or data fields on our websites or online resources. Such information may include, but not be limited to, contact information (such as your name, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, user ID and password), date of birth, professional credentials, experiences, activities, skills, preferences and interests. MSD may also collect health information about you that you provide by responding to our questions and surveys or through your use of online and downloadable health-related tools we provide.

Consistent with the purposes identified and standards set within this policy and other applicable privacy notices that have been provided, in some cases MSD consolidates and uses personal information that individuals share with MSD through various services and channels, such as the telephone, surveys, websites and other online resources and communications, in order to enhance the quality of services that we offer.

Information collected from public or third party sources:MSD may collect personal information about UK health care professionals who register on our websites from public or third party information sources to verify their professional credentials and identity. In some cases, we may augment our existing user databases with information from third parties. Some of this information may be personal information, such as change of postal address information.

Information collected from your computer or other electronic device: We collect information about your computer or other electronic device when you visit our websites and use our online resources. This information may include your Internet Protocol (IP) address, domain name, browser type, date and time of your request and information provided by tracking technologies, such as cookies and single-pixel tags. If you use a mobile device to access our websites and online resources, we also may collect information about your device, such as your device ID and device type, as well as usage information about your device and your use of our mobile websites and other mobile resources.

Information on deleting or controlling cookies is available at www.AboutCookies.org. Please note that by deleting our cookies or disabling future cookies you may not be able to access certain areas or features of our site.

Some of our websites and other online resources use tracking technologies to provide additional functionality that enables you to use these resources more effectively. MSD uses tracking technologies in ways that do not identify you personally, such as to track accurately numbers of users or referring sites or advertisements to our online resources, or to remember whether you have identified yourself as a health care professional or a resident of a particular country. MSD may use other companies to deliver e-mail communications. MSD does not control the tracking technologies used by these other companies.

In some cases, MSD may use tracking technologies in ways that identify you personally, but only after you have entered personal information into a form or data field on our websites, or where we have registered you to use our online resources by providing a user ID and password based on information validated through other offline interactions with you. We may use tracking technologies to remember your personal preferences and selections, such as personal information that you have entered into data fields on our websites, answers that you have provided in response to our surveys, sections of our websites that you visit frequently, or to confirm whether you have read or clicked on certain e-mail communications we send to you so that we can make our communications more useful and interesting to you.

Uses made of information:MSD collects personal information online as necessary to enable individuals to register for, customise and personalise certain of MSD’s online resources and communications. MSD uses personal information collected online to provide products, services and features and other resources that individuals have requested; for example, educational literature and related information about MSD’s pharmaceutical business, products, e-mail programs, tools, questionnaires, and surveys. MSD may analyse personal information collected online to identify and offer additional services and promotions that we believe you might find interesting. MSD evaluates use of some online resources and communications with non-identifiable or aggregate information only. MSD also may use personal information to audit its online resources for authorised access and security.

We would like to provide you with information by email about services on and updates to the website, and about other MSD services and products which we think may be of interest to you. If you have given your consent to receive MSD emails then some of this content may be of a product promotional nature. We will only do this if you have given us your consent in the registration form. If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for these purposes, you may change your mind at any time by amending your settings on the email subscription page or by unsubscribing from links provided in the emails.

Mobile Computing:Some MSD websites and online resources are designed specifically for use on mobile computing devices. Some mobile versions of MSD websites may require that you log in with your user account for that website. Information about your use of the mobile version of the website will be associated with your user account. Some of our websites and online resources enable you to download an application, widget or other tool that you can use on your mobile or other computing device. Some of these tools may store information on your mobile or other device. These tools may transmit personal information to MSD to enable you to access your user account and to enable MSD to track use of these tools. Some of these tools may enable you to e-mail reports and other information from the tool. MSD may use personal or non-identifiable information transmitted to MSD to enhance these tools, to develop new tools, for quality improvement and as otherwise described in this Policy or in other notices MSD provides.

How does MSD protect the privacy of children?

In general, MSD websites are not directed at children and most of the online services that we offer are designed for individuals who are 18 years of age or older.

Personal information about you will be accessible to MSD, including its affiliates, divisions and groups worldwide, and to individuals and organisations that use personal information solely for and at the direction of MSD or Merck. Uses and disclosures of personal information by external individuals and organisations acting on MSD's behalf are governed by agreements that require personal information to be protected appropriately. Personal information about you only will be used and disclosed by MSD and individuals and organisations 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. MSD reserves the right to disclose personal information about you for reporting to government authorities and otherwise to the extent required or explicitly authorised by applicable law.

If you choose to register for free of charge access to GP Notebook through univadis some of your univadis registration details will be shared with GP Notebook. MSD does not control GP Notebook’s privacy practices and you should consult their privacy policy. If you wish to change your details with univadis or GP Notebook you will need to edit your profile on each site.

Securing your personal information

MSD will take reasonable steps to protect personal information as it is transmitted from your computer to our online resources and servers, as well as to protect personal information in its possession from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. It is your personal responsibility to secure your own copies of your passwords and related access codes for our online resources.

Contacting us

Should you wish to access personal information about you and to keep it accurate, complete and current, or if you have questions about this policy or MSD's information practices, please let us know by e-mailing us at helpdesk@univadis.co.ukor by editing your profile on http://www.univadis.co.uk/medical_and_more/Edit_Profile

Changes to this policy
MSD may update this policy periodically. MSD reserves the right to modify, add or remove portions of this privacy statement at its discretion. If we decide to change this policy, we will post the amended policy at this site or in some cases, may provide notice of the changes by e-mail.