Exhibit 99.2
An important moment for patients, our pipeline, and our purpose
Dear Colleagues,
Today marks an important moment for patients, our pipeline, and our purpose. I am very pleased to announce our acquisition of Acceleron Pharma, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, focused on harnessing the power of the TGF-beta protein superfamily, known to play a central role in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation and repair.
We are excited by Acceleron’s compelling and cutting-edge science and its late-stage therapeutic candidate, sotatercept, which has the potential to positively impact certain patients suffering from pulmonary arterial hypertension, a devasting disease that has a high risk of mortality.
We believe this candidate, along with the rest of Acceleron’s innovative portfolio, complements and strengthens our growing cardiovascular portfolio and pipeline and holds the potential to build upon Merck’s proud legacy of developing medicines for the treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease.
Please join me as we celebrate this milestone moment which positions us for even greater success.
Thank you for your continued collaboration and commitment.
Rob Davis
CEO and President
Important Information About the Tender Offer
The tender offer described in this communication has not yet commenced. This communication is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any shares of the common stock of Acceleron Pharma Inc. (“Acceleron”) or any other securities, nor is it a substitute for the tender offer materials described herein. At the time the planned tender offer is commenced, a tender offer statement on Schedule TO, including an offer to purchase, a letter of transmittal and related documents, will be filed by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (“Merck”) and Astros Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and a solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9 will be filed by Acceleron with the SEC.
INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ CAREFULLY BOTH THE TENDER OFFER MATERIALS (INCLUDING AN OFFER TO PURCHASE, A RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND CERTAIN OTHER TENDER OFFER DOCUMENTS) AND THE SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT ON SCHEDULE 14D-9 REGARDING THE OFFER, AS THEY MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME, WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING TENDERING THEIR SECURITIES.