Merck & Co launches Doctor's Bag on-line search engine for patients

US drug major Merck & Co has launched a service to help patients find health information, the MerckSource Doctor's Bag, a new Internet search tool on the firm's web site: www.mercksource.com/drbag.

The Doctor's Bag service is endorsed by Marie Savard, a physician and author of several books aimed at providing patients with information on taking personal responsibility for their health. Dr Savard said: "in today's busy world, searching for health information must be convenient. However, most patients want information they can trust and that is not promotional." She added: "I recommend MerckSource.com to my patients because they can quickly and easily find health trackers, disease information, medical news and other resources they need to improve their health."

Merck described the Doctor's Bag as part of a long tradition of providing non-promotional health information to patients. In 1899, eight years after the company's foundation, Merck published its first Merck Manual. The drug major believes that the demand for on-line search tools is growing: a recent survey commissioned by Merck found that 89% of respondents over 18 years said they had used the Internet to search for health information, with 79% doing so because it is convenient and saves time.