Merck Serono Named as a Top Employer by Science Magazine

GENEVA, October 5 /PRNewswire/ --

-- Merck Serono, the Division for Innovative Biotech and Pharmaceutical Medicines of Merck KGaA, Ranked No. 6 Among 575 Biotech and Pharma Employers

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today that Science magazine has named it one of the world's leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical employers. Merck Serono's ranking improved to No. 6 this year, up from No. 7 in 2008 and No. 17 in 2007.

"This is a great honor because the survey by Science sought opinions from people within the scientific community, people who actually know the biotech and pharmaceutical industries very well," said Bernhard Kirschbaum, Executive Vice President, Merck Serono Research & Development. "This is a compliment to the dedication, skills and hard work of our employees. It's also a statement to the rest of the scientific community that Merck Serono is an employer that offers a great working environment, the chance for professional development and an opportunity to help mankind."

Science's 2009 Top Employers Survey queried 2,334 people. Participants came from North America (73%), Europe (15%) and the Pacific Rim (8%). Respondents were asked to write in the names of companies they considered best, average and worst employers. They then rated these companies on 23 different attributes.

Attribute categories included Corporate Image, Financial Prowess, Leadership and Direction, Work Culture/Environment, Location, and Academic and Intellectual Challenge.

Merck Serono won special recognition for having loyal employees, being socially responsible and doing important, quality research.

Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) commissioned Cell Associated and The Brighton Consulting Group to conduct the survey to determine which employers in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries had the best reputations.

Email questionnaires were sent to AAAS members, Science Career registrants, Science website visitors registered with AAAS, and past survey takers, as well as human resources contacts from the Science Careers database.

About Merck Serono

Merck Serono is the division for innovative prescription pharmaceuticals of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a global pharmaceutical and chemical company. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Merck Serono discovers, develops, manufactures and markets innovative small molecules and biopharmaceuticals to help patients with unmet medical needs. In the United States and Canada, EMD Serono operates through separately incorporated affiliates.

Merck Serono has leading brands serving patients with cancer (Erbitux(R), cetuximab), multiple sclerosis (Rebif(R), interferon beta-1a), infertility (Gonal-f(R), follitropin alpha), endocrine and metabolic disorders (Saizen(R) and Serostim(R), somatropin), (Kuvan(R), sapropterin dihydrochloride) as well as cardiometabolic diseases (Glucophage(R), metformin), (Concor(R), bisoprolol), (Euthyrox(R), levothyroxine). Not all products are available in all markets.

With an annual R&D expenditure of around EUR 1bn, 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.

About Merck

Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with total revenues of EUR 7.6 billion in 2008, a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped by 33,000 employees in 60 countries. Its success is characterized by innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck's operating activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the Merck family holds an approximately 70% interest and free shareholders own the remaining approximately 30%. In 1917 the U.S. subsidiary Merck & Co. was expropriated and has been an independent company ever since.

For more information, please visit http://www.merckserono.com or http://www.merck.de

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