Merck & Co lures former Amgen exec to head its R&D

US pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) has announced the appointment of Roger Perlmutter as executive vice president and president of Merck Research Laboratories (MRL), effective April 15.

He will succeed Peter Kim, who has served in the role since 2003 and is now retiring. To ensure a seamless transition, Dr Perlmutter and Dr. Kim will work closely together for an initial period, after which Dr. Kim will remain with the company as an advisor until his retirement in August.

Dr Perlmutter was executive vice president and head of R&D at Amgen, the world’s largest independent biotech firm, from January 2001 to February 2012, at which point he retired but continued as a consultant to the company. During his tenure, Dr Perlmutter oversaw the development and subsequent approval of a number of novel biologic and small molecule medicines in the areas of cancer, endocrinology, hematology, inflammation and osteoporosis. Prior to joining Amgen, he was executive vice president of worldwide basic research and preclinical development at Merck. He joined Merck as a senior vice president in February 1997.