Merck Serono Expands Biopharmaceutical R&D Facility to Accelerate Innovation at Darmstadt Headquarters

Darmstadt, Germany, September 11, 2015 – Merck Serono, the biopharmaceutical business of Merck, today announced the expansion of its R&D facility in Darmstadt, Germany. Merck is investing € 65 million in a new laboratory building that will span more than 16,000 square meters and accommodate approximately 200 current employees whose focus will be accelerating innovation in R&D.

At the cornerstone laying ceremony in Darmstadt today, Belén Garijo, Executive Board Member of Merck and CEO Healthcare, and Kai Beckmann, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and besides others with responsibility for Site Operations in Darmstadt, emphasized the significance of this expansion and investment into innovation as a driver of future growth for Merck.
"When complete in 2017, we will offer our employees in research an open and modern environment that fosters collaboration and innovation across disciplines. With this building, we are sending out another signal that the Darmstadt site will continue to serve as a core R&D Hub for Merck," said Beckmann. "In addition, the new laboratory building is an important element in the expansion of our global headquarters."

"Over the next few years, we are poised to deliver the innovation discovered in our own laboratories to patients in need around the world," said Garijo. "By continuing to invest in R&D with the expansion of our scientific infrastructure in Darmstadt, we are creating new opportunities for future discoveries that will bring value to patients and to Merck."

The new building will unite different functions within R&D Discovery Technologies at Merck Serono, including Molecular Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry, Computational Chemistry, Molecular Interactions and Biophysics, Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, and Protein and Cell Sciences.

The research building, when complete in fall of 2017, will be located within the new "Pharma Square" on the Merck campus in Darmstadt. Merck is thus uniting a significant part of its R&D activities in a single area, creating ideal conditions for the advancement of its biopharmaceutical pipeline.

With approximately 2,000 scientific and clinical development professionals working across four R&D hubs - Darmstadt, Germany, the largest R&D site; Boston, US; Tokyo, Japan; and Beijing, China - Merck Serono endeavors to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with serious medical needs. The core areas of R&D focus for Merck Serono are oncology, immuno-oncology, and immunology.

About Merck Serono
Merck Serono is the biopharmaceutical business of Merck. With headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, Merck Serono offers leading brands in 150 countries to help patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis, infertility, endocrine and metabolic disorders as well as cardiovascular diseases. In the United States and Canada, EMD Serono operates as a separately incorporated subsidiary of Merck Serono.
Merck Serono discovers, develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines of both chemical and biological origin in specialist indications. We have an enduring commitment to deliver novel therapies in our core focus areas of neurology, oncology, immuno-oncology and immunology.
For more information, please visit www.merckserono.com