Movember and Merck Canada Team Up to Get Men Moving and Talking About Their Health

Strong Enough to Train, Smart Enough to Get Checked

KIRKLAND, QC, Oct. 8, 2026 /CNW/ -- Merck Canada and Movember are teaming up to launch the Run It By Your Doctor for Movember Challenge, a nationwide initiative hosted on the Strava app that encourages participants to complete a 10-kilometre run while taking one additional step for their health: completing the Head-to-Nuts Checklist with a healthcare provider. By combining physical activity with meaningful conversations, the challenge aims to help men take a more proactive approach to their health and start conversations with healthcare providers about topics that can be overlooked.

"Looking after your health shouldn't start when something feels wrong. From mental health to prostate and testicular cancer, we want men to understand their risks, know what's normal for them and feel confident having conversations about their health," said Atiqa Mohammad, Implementation Director, Cancer Programs, Movember Canada. "The Head-to-Nuts Checklist helps make those conversations easier, and the challenge gives men a simple way to get moving and make health check-ins part of their routine."

Men's health is complex, and taking a proactive approach means paying attention to physical, mental and preventative health. Thanks to ongoing awareness efforts, topics such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental well-being are increasingly part of the men's health conversation. Yet human papillomavirus (HPV) remains far less understood, despite affecting an estimated 75% of sexually active Canadians at some point in their lifetime. This awareness gap is particularly important given that high-risk HPV types are responsible for up to 70% of throat (oropharyngeal) cancers. In 2012, it was reported that the incidence of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer was at least 4.5 times higher in men than in women.

"Health concerns don't always come with obvious warning signs, and HPV is a good example," said Matthew Thornhill, Executive Director, Vaccines & HIV Business Unit, Merck Canada. "Many HPV infections cause no symptoms, and there is currently no routine screening test for HPV infection in men. With throat (oropharyngeal) cancer now the most common HPV-associated cancer in Canada, it's important that HPV be part of the broader conversation about men's health."

"Strong enough to train, smart enough to get checked" is the challenge's rallying cry, reinforcing that understanding your health risks and taking proactive steps is just as important as physical activity.

Canadians are encouraged to learn more at https://knowhpv.ca/runitbyyourdoctor/.

About the Run It By Your Doctor Challenge

The Run It By Your Doctor for Movember Challenge runs from October 8 to December 8, 2026, and encourages Canadians to pair physical activity with proactive conversations about their health. Hosted on the Strava app and developed through a collaboration between Movember and Merck Canada, participants are invited to complete a 10-kilometre run, download the Head-to-Nuts Checklist, and use it to start conversations with a healthcare provider about four important men's health topics: mental health, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and HPV-related head and neck cancers.

About Merck
At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable, and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information about our operations in Canada, visit www.merck.ca and connect with us on LinkedIn.

About Movember
Movember is the leading global movement working to change the face of men's health for good. Since 2003, Movember's community has raised more than $1.8 billion CAD, funding over 1,320 projects in men's mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer. Movember will continue working alongside communities and expert partners to challenge the status quo, drive innovative research, and scale evidence-based programs that address the most complex challenges facing men's health and society today. To learn more, please visit Movember.com.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (the "company") includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company's patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

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© 2026 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE Merck