EMD Serono Advances Medical and Scientific Leadership and Entry into Oncology, Appointing Joseph Leveque, M.D. as U.S. Chief Medical Officer

ROCKLAND, Mass., Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- EMD Serono, the U.S. biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt,Germany, announced today the appointment of Joseph Leveque, M.D. as U.S. Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Leveque will be responsible for working with the regulatory, medical and development teams to enhance EMD Serono's clinical presence in the U.S. and to drive the execution of key medical initiatives.

Dr. Leveque brings more than 20 years of experience in the areas of strategic leadership, advancing medical and clinical programs, as well as life cycle management. He has served as the medical lead in a number of biopharmaceutical roles, and has wide industry expertise across therapeutic areas, with a focus in oncology and immuno-oncology.

"Dr. Leveque's substantial experience in managing integrated global medical affairs teams will be significant to furthering our specialty care focus in neurology, oncology, fertility, and endocrinology and bringing our pipeline forward," said Paris Panayiotopoulos, President and Managing Director of EMD Serono. "In the U.S., Dr. Leveque will collaborate closely with our global medical and R&D organizations, and will play a key role in advancing our commitment to innovation and bringing new therapeutic options to patients, particularly those with difficult to treat diseases."

Dr. Leveque will report to Steven Hildemann, Global Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Medical Affairs and Drug Safety for the biopharma business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and will be a member of the Global Medical Affairs and EMD Serono U.S. Leadership Teams.

Most recently, Dr. Leveque was at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he served as the head of U.S. Medical for Oncology. At Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr. Leveque was responsible for providing strategic leadership and management for marketed and near-term pipeline oncology assets. Previous to Bristol Myers Squibb, Dr. Leveque has also held medical affairs leadership positions at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cephalon and Amgen, Inc.

Dr. Leveque holds an M.D. from University of Texas and his MBA from Wharton Business School.

He will be based in Rockland, Massachusetts.

About EMD Serono
EMD Serono, the U.S. biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading U.S. biopharma company focused exclusively on specialty care. For more than 40 years, EMD Serono has integrated cutting-edge science, innovative products and devices, and industry-leading patient support and access programs. EMD Serono has deep expertise in neurology, fertility and endocrinology, as well as a robust pipeline of potential therapies in neurology, oncology, immunology and immuno-oncology. Today, EMD Serono has more than 1,100 employees around the country with commercial, clinical and research operations based in the company's home state of Massachusetts.    

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in healthcare, life science and performance materials. The company has six businesses – Biopharmaceuticals, Consumer Health, Allergopharma, Biosimilars, Life Science and Performance Materials – and generated sales of € 11.3 billion in 2014. Around 39,000 employees work in 66 countries to improve the quality of life for patients, to foster the success of customers and to help meet global challenges. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company – since 1668, the company has stood for innovation, business success and responsible entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70% interest, the founding family remains the majority owner of the company to this day. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are Canada and the United States, where the company operates as EMD Serono, EMD Millipore and EMD Performance Materials.

Cory Tromblee
Phone:  781.681.2393