Merck Serono SA officially launched

Following the successful closing of a share purchase agreement, German drugmaker Merck KGaA and Swiss biotechnology firm Serono, the combined entity, Merck Serono SA, has officially been launched. Elmar Schnee, the firm's new chief executive, said "we want to utilize the best of both companies. A total of 28 projects in clinical development, a combined R&D budget of approximately 1.0 billion euros ($1.3 billion) and the two key growth drivers Erbitux (cetuximab) for oncology and Rebif (interferon beta-1a) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, give us the best foundations for a successful future."

The merged company will be managed as a subsidiary of Merck KGaA as the integration process moves forward. Following the conclusion of the planning phase, 25 integration teams consisting of about 170 managers to implement the process throughout the company, led by a steering committee headed by Karl-Ludwig Kley, vice chairman of the executive board of Merck KGaA.

In the course of 2007, Merck Serono SA will be combined with the current Merck Ethicals division and operate as the new Merck Serono division within the Pharmaceuticals business sector of Merck KGaA. The headquarters of this division will be in Geneva, Switzerland. This move will create a leading global supplier of biopharmaceutical products with pro forma 2005 sales of 3.6 billion euros and about 14,500 employees worldwide.