Fashion Designer And Project Runway All Stars Winner Mondo Guerra Collaborates With Merck To Help Empower People With HIV To Work With Their Doctors To "Tailor" Their Treatment Plan

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., July 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that Mondo Guerra, fashion designer and winner of the hit television show Project Runway All Stars, is using his professional and personal experiences to help empower people living with HIV to work with their doctors to take a "tailored" approach to their treatment plan.  Prompted by Mondo's artistic self-expression and his personal story, I Design encourages meaningful and open physician-patient dialogue that takes into account a person's medical and lifestyle needs.

"I have been living with HIV for more than 10 years and know how crucial it is to find a treatment approach that's tailored to you," said Mondo Guerra.  "As a designer, self-expression has always been very important to me, but being prepared to have a conversation with my doctor about my needs has been challenging.  That is why I am excited to collaborate with Merck on I Design, encouraging people living with HIV to have an open dialogue with their doctors and be active participants in their approach to managing their HIV."

According to the recently revised U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines on HIV-1 treatment, for people living with HIV, individualizing treatment with involvement from both the patient and physician in the decision making "is the cornerstone of any treatment plan."

As part of the campaign, Mondo will travel the U.S. in 2012 to raise awareness about I Design through local events, as well as meetings with AIDS service organizations, to discuss his experience living with the disease and how actively communicating with your doctor can have a meaningful influence on your treatment plan.  Mondo will be conducting activities in Washington, D.C. during the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) and at the United States Conference on AIDS (USCA 2012) in Las Vegas later this year. 

"Merck has a longstanding commitment to improving access to HIV treatment and care in the United States," said Mark Timney, president, Global Human Health – U.S. Market, Merck.  "We continue our commitment by supporting I Design and collaborating with Mondo to share his personal experience living with HIV to inspire patients to talk with their doctors about their treatment plan. We are grateful to Mondo for his commitment to help motivate people with HIV to find their voice." 

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