Merck & Co. S3ASR Automatic shelf registration | MRK 25 Mar 21

Exhibit 1

MERCK & CO., INC.

Form of Debt Underwriting Agreement

, 20

[Names and addresses of Underwriters]

As Representatives of the several Underwriters

named in Schedule I hereto

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Merck & Co., Inc., a New Jersey corporation (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the firms named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”), an aggregate of $ principal amount of its % Notes due (the “Securities”).

1. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:

(a) An “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined under Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ( the “Act”) on Form S-3 (File No. 333- ) in respect of the Securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) not earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; such registration statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, became effective on filing; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the registration statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of such registration statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act has been received by the Company; the basic prospectus filed as part of such registration statement, in the form in which it has been most recently filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement is hereinafter called the “Basic Prospectus”; any preliminary prospectus (including any preliminary prospectus supplement) relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”; the various parts of such registration statement, including all exhibits thereto and the documents incorporated by reference in the Basic Prospectus contained in the registration statement at the time such part of the registration statement became effective but excluding Form T-1 and including any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Commission and deemed by virtue of Rule 430B to be part of such registration statement, each as amended at the time such part of the registration statement became effective, are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statement”; the Basic Prospectus, as amended and supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(c) hereof), is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; the form of the final prospectus relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”; any reference herein to the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Act, as of the date of such prospectus; any reference to any amendment or supplement to the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act and any documents filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and incorporated therein, in each case after the date of the Basic Prospectus, such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; and any “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the Act relating to the Securities is hereinafter called an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”;

(b) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;

(c) For the purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement; the Pricing Prospectus, as supplemented by the information contained in the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof, taken together (collectively, the “Pricing Disclosure Package”) as of the Applicable Time, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Schedule II(a) hereto does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus and each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in the Pricing Disclosure Package or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;

(d) The documents incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; and no such documents were filed with the Commission since the Commission’s close of business on the business day immediately prior to the date of this Agreement and prior to the execution of this Agreement, except as set forth on Schedule II(b) hereto;

(e) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, as of the date of this Agreement as to the Registration Statement, and as of its date and as of the Time of Delivery as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, contain an

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untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;

(f) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, there has not been any material change in the consolidated capital stock or any material increase in the consolidated long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus;

(g) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of New Jersey, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus;

(h) Each of the Significant Subsidiaries (as defined below) of the Company has been duly organized, is validly existing as an organization in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or the ownership or leasing of its property requires such qualification, except where failure to qualify would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries taken as a whole; (the term “Significant Subsidiary” as used herein has the meaning set forth in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X);

(i) The Securities have been duly authorized, and, when issued and delivered pursuant to this Agreement, such Securities will have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits provided by the Indenture, dated as of January 6, 2010, between the Company and U.S. Bank Trust National Association, as Trustee (the “Indenture”), which will be substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement; the Indenture has been duly authorized and duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and, at the Time of Delivery for such Securities (as defined in Section 4(a) hereof), the Indenture will constitute a valid and legally binding instrument, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles; and the Indenture conforms, and the Securities will conform, to the descriptions thereof contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;

(j) The issue and sale of the Securities and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of the Securities, the Indenture and this Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions herein and therein contemplated, will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge, or encumbrance upon any of the property or assets of the Company or its Significant Subsidiaries pursuant to the terms of any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the Company or any statute, order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its Significant

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Subsidiaries or any of their properties; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Indenture, except such as have been obtained under the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters;

(k) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject, other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus and other than litigation incident to the kind of business conducted by the Company and its subsidiaries, which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the current or future consolidated financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries; and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others;

(l) (A) (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), and (iii) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) under the Act) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 under the Act, the Company was a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; and (B) at the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Act) of the Securities, the Company was not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act;

(m) The financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods specified; and said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The selected financial data and the summary financial information of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries included in the Prospectus and the supporting schedules, if any, included in the Registration Statement present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus, and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance in all material respects with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto;

(n) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except, in the case of clauses (i),(ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a material adverse effect on the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus;

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(o) The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities;

(p) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Act;

(q) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, will not be an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; and

(r) The Company and its Significant Subsidiaries maintain systems of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, their respective principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, including, but not limited to internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. There are no material weaknesses in the Company’s internal controls.

2. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price of % of the principal amount thereof, the principal amount of Securities set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto.

3. Upon the authorization by the Representatives of the release of such Securities, the several Underwriters propose to offer such Securities for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

4. (a) The Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder will be represented by one or more definitive global Securities in book-entry form which will be deposited by or on behalf of the Company with The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its designated custodian. The Company will deliver the Securities to the Representatives, for the account of each Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the account specified by the Company to the Representatives at least forty-eight hours in advance, by causing DTC to credit the Securities to the account of the Representatives at DTC. The Company will cause the certificates representing the Securities to be made available to the Representatives for checking at least twenty-four hours prior to the Time of Delivery (as defined below) at the office of DTC or its designated custodian (the “Designated Office”). The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on or such other time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing. Such time and date are herein called the “Time of Delivery”.

(b) The documents to be delivered at the Time of Delivery by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 8 hereof, including the cross-receipt for the Securities and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 8(k) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of (the “Closing Location”), and the Securities will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at the Time of Delivery.

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5. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:

(a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the Representatives and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the date of this Agreement; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus or the Prospectus prior to the Time of Delivery for such Securities which shall be reasonably disapproved by the Representatives promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise the Representatives promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to prepare a final term sheet, in respect of the Securities, in a form approved by you and to file such term sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act within the time required by such Rule; to file promptly all other material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act; to file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required in connection with the offering or sale of such Securities, and during such same period to advise the Representatives, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Securities, of any notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act, of the suspension of the qualification of such Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any such stop order or of any such order preventing or suspending the use of any prospectus relating to the Securities or suspending any such qualification, to use promptly its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order; and in the event of any such issuance of a notice of objection, promptly to take such steps including, without limitation, amending the Registration Statement or filing a new registration statement, at its own expense, as may be necessary to permit offers and sales of the Securities by the Underwriters (references herein to the Registration Statement shall include any such amendment or new registration statement);

(b) If required by Rule 430B(h) under the Act with respect to the offering of any Securities, to prepare a form of prospectus in a form approved by you and to file information in such form of prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than may be required by Rule 424(b) under the Act; and to make no further amendment or supplement to information relating to the Securities or the offering thereof in such form of prospectus which shall be reasonably disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof;

(c) Promptly from time to time to take such action as the Representatives may reasonably request to qualify such Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of such Securities, provided that in connection therewith, the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation, to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction or subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject;

(d) Prior to the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to furnish the Underwriters with electronic copies of the Prospectus (and written copies once available in such quantities as the Representatives may reasonably request), and, if the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issuance of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus (or in lieu

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thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act, the Exchange Act or the Trust Indenture Act, to notify the Representatives and upon their request to file such document and to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many copies as the Representatives may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) in connection with sales of any of the Securities at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many written and electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;

(e) To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than sixteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c)), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);

(f) During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and including the earlier of (i) the termination of trading restrictions for such Securities, as notified to the Company by the Representatives, and (ii) the Time of Delivery for such Securities, not to offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of any debt securities of the Company which mature more than one year after such Time of Delivery and which are substantially similar to such Securities, without the prior written consent of the Representatives; and

(g) To pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) under the Act and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Act.

6. (a) The Company represents and agrees that, other than the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof, without the prior consent of the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act;

(b) Each Underwriter represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, other than the final term sheet referred to in clause (a) above or one or more preliminary term sheets relating to the Securities containing customary information (which in their final form will not be inconsistent with the final term sheet referred to in clause (a) above) and conveyed to purchasers of Securities, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or a free writing prospectus that would otherwise be required to be filed with the Commission;

(c) Any such free writing prospectus the use of which has been consented to by the Company and the Representatives (including the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof) is listed on Schedule II(a) hereto;

(d) The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending; and

(e) The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements

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therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Representatives and, if requested by the Representatives, will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or other document which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.

7. The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Securities under the Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or producing any agreement or memorandum among Underwriters, this Agreement, the Indenture, any Blue Sky memorandum and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Securities; (iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Securities for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(c) hereof, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky and legal investment surveys; (iv) any fees charged by securities rating services for rating the Securities; (v) any filing fees incident to any required review by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. of the terms of the sale of the Securities; (vi) the cost of preparing the Securities; (vii) the fees and expenses of any trustee or paying agent, and any agent of any trustee or paying agent, and the fees and disbursements of counsel for any trustee or paying agent, in connection with the Indenture and Securities; and (viii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section; but the Company shall not in any event be liable to any of the Underwriters for damages on account of loss of anticipated profits from the sale by them of the Securities. It is understood, however, that, except as provided in this Section, Section 9 and Section 12 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel, transfer taxes on resale of any of the Securities by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.

8. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder shall be subject, in the discretion of the Representatives, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein are, at and as of the Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:

(a) (i) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; the final term sheet contemplated by Section 5(a) hereof, and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; and (ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act shall have been received; no stop order suspending or preventing the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to the Representatives’ reasonable satisfaction;

(b) , counsel to the Underwriters, shall have furnished to the Representatives such opinion or opinions, dated the Time of Delivery, with respect to the Indenture, the Securities, the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus and other related matters as the Representatives may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;

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(c) , Esq., General Counsel of the Company (or such other person who shall be General Counsel to the Company at such Time of Delivery), shall have furnished to the Representatives his written opinion, dated the Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect that:

(i) The Company has been duly incorporated, and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing, under the laws of the State of New Jersey and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or the ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries taken as a whole;

(ii) Each of the Significant Subsidiaries of the Company has been duly organized, is validly existing as an organization in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or the ownership or leasing of its property requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries taken as a whole;

(iii) To the best of such counsel’s knowledge, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject, other than (x) as set forth in or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus and (y) other than litigation or proceedings which individually and in the aggregate are not material to the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries taken as a whole; to the best of such counsel’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened by governmental authorities or others; and such counsel has not received notice that any such proceedings are contemplated by governmental authorities;

(iv) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company;

(v) The Securities have been duly authorized, executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits provided by the Indenture enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles; and the Securities and the Indenture conform to the descriptions thereof in the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package;

(vi) The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and constitutes a valid and legally binding instrument, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles;

(vii) The issue and sale of the Securities and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of the Securities, the Indenture and this Agreement will not conflict with or result in a breach of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries pursuant to the terms of any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument known to such counsel to which the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or

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any of its Significant Subsidiaries is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, or the By-Laws of the Company or any statute, order, rule or regulation known to such counsel of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries or any of their properties; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or any such regulatory authority or other governmental body is required for the issue and sale by the Company of the Securities or the execution and delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement or the Indenture, except such as have been obtained under the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under State securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters;

(viii) The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus prior to the Time of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion), when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; and such counsel has no reason to believe that any of such documents, when they became effective or were so filed, as the case may be, contained, in the case of a registration statement which became effective under the Act, an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or, in the case of other documents which were filed under the Exchange Act with the Commission, an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such documents were so filed, not misleading; and

(ix) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any further amendments and supplements thereto, as applicable, made by the Company prior to the Time of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; although such counsel does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, such counsel has no reason to believe (i) the Registration Statement (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) as of the date hereof, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) that the Pricing Disclosure Package (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion), as of the Applicable Time, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (iii) that, as of its date and as of the Time of Delivery, the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto made by the Company prior to the Time of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and such counsel does not know of any amendment to the Registration Statement required to be filed or of any contracts or other documents of a character required to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or required to be incorporated by reference into the Prospectus or required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus or the Prospectus which are not filed or incorporated by reference or described as required;

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(d) , outside counsel to the Company in connection with this offering, shall have furnished to the Representatives a written opinion, dated the Time of Delivery, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect that the statements set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Certain U.S. Federal Tax Consequences,” insofar as such statements purport to summarize matters of U.S. federal tax laws or legal conclusions with respect thereto, and subject to the limitations, qualifications and assumptions set forth therein, fairly summarize the matters set forth therein;

(e) On the date of the Prospectus, on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement and also at the Time of Delivery, the independent accountants of the Company who have certified the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall have furnished to the Representatives a letter, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives;

(f) (i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the consolidated capital stock (except for the issuance of shares of common stock pursuant to the Company’s savings, incentive stock and executive incentive plans and for purchases of shares of common stock pursuant to the Company’s treasury stock buyback program) or any increase in the consolidated long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in the judgment of the Representatives so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;

(g) On or after the Applicable Time, (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Company’s debt securities by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as that term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act, and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company’s debt securities;

(h) On or after the date of the Applicable Time there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension of trading of the Company’s Common Stock by the Commission or the New York Stock Exchange precipitated by the announcement by the Company of a material adverse event with respect to the Company’s business or financial position; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities in New York declared by either Federal or New York State authorities; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war; or (v) the occurrence of any other calamity or crisis, any material change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in the judgment of the Representatives makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated by the Prospectus as amended and supplemented;

(i) The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 5(d) hereof; and

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(j) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished at the Time of Delivery for the Securities a certificate or certificates of officers of the Company satisfactory to the Representatives as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, as to the matters set forth in subsections (a) and (f) of this Section and as to such other matters as the Representatives may reasonably request.

9. (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.

(b) Each Underwriter will severally, and not jointly, indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.

(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation.

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(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 9 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities to which such loss, claim, damage or liability (or action in respect thereof) relates. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection (c) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and such Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from such offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriters. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or such Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the applicable Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The obligations of the Underwriters in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

(e) The obligations of the Company under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.

10. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Securities which it has agreed to purchase, the Representatives may in their discretion arrange for themselves or another party or other parties to purchase such Securities on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours after such default by any Underwriter the Representatives do not arrange for the purchase of such Securities, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to the Representatives to purchase such Securities on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed period, the Representatives notify the Company that they have so arranged for the purchase of such Securities, or the Company notifies the Representatives that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Securities, the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Time of Delivery for such Securities for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in the opinion of the Representatives may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Securities.

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(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the Representatives and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate principal amount of such Securities which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the principal amount of Securities which such Underwriter agreed to purchase under this Agreement and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the principal amount of Securities which such Underwriter agreed to purchase under this Agreement) of the Securities of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the Representatives and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate principal amount of Securities which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities, as referred to in subsection (b) above, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement relating to such Securities shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 7 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 9 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.¹

11. (a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

As used in this Section 11:

“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).

“Covered Entity” means any of the following:

(i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);

(ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or

(iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).

If more than one series of notes is being offered, the following subsection (d) will be included: “For purposes of this Section 10, the [ ] Notes, and the [ ] Notes shall be treated as [two] separate series of Securities, and this Section shall apply to each series as if this Agreement applied solely to such series.”

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“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.

“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

12. Notwithstanding and to the exclusion of any other term of this Agreement or any other agreements, arrangements or understandings between a BRRD Party and any other party to this Agreement, each of the other parties to this Agreement acknowledges and accepts that a BRRD Liability arising under this Agreement may be subject to the exercise of Bail-in Powers by the Relevant Resolution Authority, and acknowledges, accepts and agrees to be bound by:

(a) the effect of the exercise of Bail-in Powers by the Relevant Resolution Authority in relation to any BRRD Liability of a BRRD Party to such other party under this Agreement, that (without limitation) may include and result in any of the following, or some combination thereof:

(i) the reduction of all, or a portion, of the BRRD Liability or outstanding amounts due thereon;

(ii) the conversion of all, or a portion, of the BRRD Liability into shares, other securities or other obligations of the relevant BRRD Party or another person, and the issue to or conferral on such other party to this Agreement of such shares, securities or obligations;

(iii) the cancellation of the BRRD Liability; and

(iv) the amendment or alteration of any interest, if applicable, thereon, or the dates on which any payments are due, including by suspending payment for a temporary period; and

(b) the variation of the terms of this Agreement relating to such BRRD Liability, as deemed necessary by the Relevant Resolution Authority, to give effect to the exercise of Bail-in Powers by the Relevant Resolution Authority.

(c) As used in this Section 12, “Bail-in Legislation” means in relation to a member state of the European Economic Area which has implemented, or which at any time implements, the BRRD, the relevant implementing law, regulation, rule or requirement as described in the EU Bail-in Legislation Schedule from time to time; “Bail-in Powers” means any Write-down and Conversion Powers as defined in the EU Bail-in Legislation Schedule, in relation to the relevant Bail-in Legislation; “BRRD” means Directive 2014/59/EU establishing a framework for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions and investment firms; “BRRD Party” means Standard Chartered Bank; “EU Bail-in Legislation Schedule” means the document described as such, then in effect, and published by the Loan Market Association (or any successor person) from time to time at http://www.lma.eu.com/pages.aspx?p=499; “BRRD Liability” means a liability in respect of which the relevant Write Down and Conversion Powers in the applicable Bail-in Legislation may be exercised; and “Relevant Resolution Authority” means the resolution authority with the ability to exercise any Bail-in Powers in relation to the relevant BRRD Party.

13. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Securities.

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14. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 10 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter with respect to the Securities except as provided in Section 7 and Section 9 hereof; but, if for any other reason Securities are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through the Representatives for all out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by the Representatives, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of such Securities, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter with respect to such Securities except as provided in Section 7 and Section 9 hereof.

15. In all dealings hereunder, the Representatives of the Underwriters shall act on behalf of each of such Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by such Representatives jointly.

All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to the Representatives to the address of each Representative as follows:

[Addresses of Representatives]

and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Secretary; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth above. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.

16. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the extent provided in Section 9 and Section 11 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.

17. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement.

18. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them, has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.

19. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

20. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto and thereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such respective counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Agreement by telecopier, facsimile or other electronic transmission (e.g., a “pdf” or “tif”) shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart thereof.

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21. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company is authorized to disclose to any persons the U.S. federal and state income tax treatment and tax structure of the potential transaction and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax analyses) provided to the Company relating to that treatment and structure, without the Underwriters imposing any limitation of any kind. However, any information relating to the tax treatment and tax structure shall remain confidential (and the foregoing sentence shall not apply) to the extent necessary to enable any person to comply with securities laws. For this purpose, “tax structure” is limited to any facts that may be relevant to that treatment..

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return four counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by the Representatives, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement between each of the Underwriters and the Company. If applicable, it is understood that acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of agreement or memorandum among the Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company for examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof.

[Signature Pages Follow]

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Very truly yours,

MERCK & CO., INC.

By:
		Name:
		Title:

Accepted as of the date hereof on behalf of themselves and each of the other several Underwriters listed in Schedule I hereto:


By:
		Name:
		Title:


By:
		Name:
		Title:

SCHEDULE I


Underwriter		Principal Amount of Securities to be Purchased

Total

SCHEDULE II

(a) Issuer Free Writing Prospectus:

Pricing Term Sheet dated , substantially in the form attached as Exhibit A to Schedule II

(b) Additional Documents Incorporated by Reference:

Exhibit A to Schedule II

Form of Pricing Term Sheet

Merck & Co., Inc.

[Date]

Unless otherwise indicated, terms used but not defined herein have the meanings assigned to such terms in the preliminary prospectus supplement dated.

Expected Ratings of the Notes:*

Trade Date:

Settlement Date:

Active Bookrunners:

Other Underwriters:

Title:

Size:

Maturity:

Interest Payment Dates:

[Spread to LIBOR:

Designated LIBOR page:

Index Maturity:

Interest Reset Date:

Initial Interest Rate:]²

[Coupon:

Benchmark Treasury:

Treasury Yield:

Spread to Benchmark Treasury:

Yield to Maturity:]³

Price to Public:

²	Terms included for an offering of floating rate notes.

³	Terms included for an offering of fixed rate notes.

Underwriting Discount:

Make-Whole Call:

Par Call:

CUSIP:

ISIN:

*	Note: A securities rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time.

This pricing term sheet supplements the preliminary prospectus supplement issued by Merck & Co., Inc. on , relating to its prospectus dated March 25, 2021.

The issuer has filed a preliminary prospectus supplement and registration statement (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the preliminary prospectus supplement, the prospectus in that registration statement, and other documents the issuer has filed with the SEC and that are incorporated by reference into the preliminary prospectus supplement for more complete information about the issuer and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC Web site at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the issuer, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the prospectus if you request it by calling at .

Merck & Co. (MRK) S-3ASRAutomatic shelf registration