Merck Serono discovers, develops, manufactures and markets innovative prescription drugs to treat cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), infertility, and growth disorders, as well as certain cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and allergies. As the company’s largest division, Merck Serono generates 56% of Group sales and 57% of EBITDA pre one-time items (excluding Corporate and Other). The Merck Serono division was formed in 2007 with the acquisition of the Swiss biopharmaceutical company Serono SA, which was integrated stepwise into Merck’s traditional business with prescription drugs. The integration process progressed steadily in recent years and was completed after divesting the former Serono headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland in 2013 and fully transferring divisional headquarters to Darmstadt.
Merck Serono commercializes its products worldwide and has a strong presence in established markets. The regions of Europe and North America contributed 63% of divisional sales in 2013. However, Merck Serono has also been operating in emerging markets for over three decades. This presence was continuously further expanded in recent years. In 2013, the division generated 30% of sales in that region, which is higher than the share of sales in emerging markets at many other pharmaceutical companies in Europe or the United States.
Merck Serono sells mainly biotechnologically produced drugs. Rebif® is the top-selling product. It is used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), which is one of the most common neurological diseases among young adults.
In Oncology, Merck offers Erbitux® for the targeted treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Erbitux® is the second best-selling drug in Merck Serono’s product portfolio. This monoclonal antibody is also a standard in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Merck Serono also offers products that help couples to conceive a child. The division has a complete portfolio of recombinant gonadotropins, including Gonal-f®, the most frequently prescribed gonadotropin worldwide. The products in the Fertility franchise are an important growth driver for Merck Serono. This is primarily due to couples postponing childbearing until later in life when natural fertility declines.
The General Medicine franchise comprises brand-name products to treat cardiometabolic diseases. Although no longer patent-protected, these are still the therapies of choice for numerous diseases. This applies, for example, to Glucophage® containing the active ingredient metformin, the drug of choice for first-line treatment of type 2 diabetes, or Concor®, a drug for chronic cardiovascular disease. Particularly in emerging markets, there is a continuous rise in demand for cardiometabolic therapies. This is due to both increasing life expectancy and in part also to growing prosperity in this region, along with the resulting changes in lifestyle and eating habits.
Merck Serono is continuously working to improve ways to administer medicines and active ingredients. For several years, therefore, Merck Serono has been developing novel, more user-friendly injection devices, which make injections less painful and at the same time more reliable for patients than conventional, pre-filled syringes. In addition, these products make it easier for medical staff to check whether patients adhere to their therapeutic regimen. Examples are the Gonal-f® RFF Redi-ject™ injection device and the electronic auto-injection device Rebif® Rebidose. These disposable injection devices were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2013 after already having been successfully used in many countries. An optimized and expanded version of the new easypod® system was introduced in Europe in 2013. This is an innovative delivery device for the treatment of growth hormone deficiency.
Merck is also active in the field of allergology. Subsequent to the acquisition of the remaining shares in Allergopharma in December 2012, Merck intends to further expand its product range for the global allergy market. The Allergopharma unit is specialized in developing high-dose hypoallergenic products for specific immunotherapy and diagnosis of type 1 allergies (such as hay fever or allergic asthma). In 2013 Merck broke ground on a new production facility for this unit in Hamburg, Germany in order to serve new markets, such as China, with these products.
search hit 68
