Hoechst Marion Roussel Merger Finalized In France

Effective October 1, Hoechst Marion Roussel in France has beenofficially formed. This is the final step in rationalizing the legal structures of the group in France, following the merger of Roussel Uclaf and Societe Francaise Hoechst. HMR combines all the pharmaceutical activities of RU, Hoechst and Marion Merrell in France.

Olivier Jacquesson, general manager and board member, is responsible for the French operations, which comprise: R&D at the Romainville center; chemical production at Neuville, Vertolae and Romainville (biotechnology) sites; pharmaceutical manufacturing at Compiegne, L'Aigle and Bourgoin sites; operational sales and marketing units at Cassenne-Marion-Solymes, Hoechst-Houde and Roussel-Diamant.

Domestic and export pharmaceutical sales of HMR France amounted to 9.78 billion French francs ($1.65 billion) in 1996, with the figure for first-half 1997 at 5,096 billion francs. HMR is ranked number two in France, with a market share of more than 6%. This is around 29% of the group's 42.8 billion francs worldwide turnover. France accounts for 20% of the group's R&D spending of over 7 million francs.