About Merck Serono

Merck Serono is the division for innovative prescription pharmaceuticals of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Merck KGaA is the oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company in the world. Its roots go back to 1668 when Friedrich Jacob Merck purchased the Engel-Apotheke (Angel Pharmacy) in Darmstadt, 40 kilometers south of Frankfurt in Germany.

Merck expanded over the years and established a New York-based affiliate in 1887 under the name of Merck & Company. During World War I, Merck & Co. was confiscated by the US government as enemy property and later sold at auction. It has been an independent company ever since. Today Merck & Co uses the ‘Merck’ name in North America and Merck uses it in the rest of the world. In Europe the US company generally is represented by MSD (Merck, Sharp & Dohme), while in North America Merck KGaA brands its activities under the name EMD (Emanuel Merck Darmstadt).

Since going public in 1995, Merck’s operating activities have been under the umbrella of Merck KGaA. Today, around 30% of the company’s total capital is publicly traded, while the Merck family owns an interest of about 70% via the general partner E. Merck KG. In 2008, Merck Group revenues totaled €7.6 billion. It currently has around 32,700 employees in 60 countries.

In 2007, Merck acquired the Swiss biotech company Serono, making Merck one of Europe's largest biopharmaceutical companies. The innovative prescription pharmaceutical division of Merck is now known as Merck Serono outside North America and as EMD Serono in the United States and Canada.

Merck Serono is committed to growing its business in specialist-focused therapeutic areas including neurodegenerative diseases, oncology, fertility and endocrinology, as well as new areas potentially arising out of research and development in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.