Merck Serono Announces Groundbreaking of New Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility in China, its Second Largest Worldwide

Nantong, China (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Merck Serono is the first and only multinational company in China to
dedicate a large scale green-field investment to the production of pharmaceuticals on
China's essential drug list
- First shipment of drugs to patients in 2017
- Facility is designed to comply with the highest international standards in
terms of quality, environment, health and safety

Merck Serono, the biopharmaceutical division of Merck, today held
the groundbreaking ceremony for its new pharmaceutical manufacturing
facility in Nantong, China. The new facility, which will be the
Group's second-largest pharmaceutical manufacturing facility
worldwide, will focus on the bulk production and packaging of
Glucophage(R), Concor(R) and Euthyrox(R), Merck Serono's leading
brands for the treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and
thyroid disorders, respectively. These medicines are referenced in
China's essential drug list, making Merck Serono the first and only
multinational company in China to dedicate a large scale green-field
investment to the production of drugs on the list, comprising
medicines that address public healthcare needs and must be available
at all times.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140827/703175 )

"We have steadfastly aligned our focus and strategy with the
Chinese government's efforts to increase patient access to quality
care throughout the country," said Belén Garijo, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Merck Serono. "Today, we are focused on
localizing production to better cater to the demands of Chinese
doctors and patients. At the same time, we are localizing research
and development to further build a differentiated portfolio of
medicines in China, aimed at serving patient needs for general as
well as specialized care. We are also creating alliances and
partnerships with local partners in every part of our operations."

The new pharmaceutical manufacturing plant is located in the
Nantong Economical Technological Development Area (NETDA), in the
Greater Shanghai region (Yangtze River Delta area). Based in NETDA's
BioSpark zone, a high-tech industrial park designed to accommodate
life science enterprises, the plant represents an investment of EUR
80 million and will be Merck's largest manufacturing facility outside
of Europe. The new facility will cover an area of 40,000 square
meters, with a possible 20,000 square meters extension. The
construction of the site is scheduled to be completed in 2016, with
commercial production starting in 2017. The site is designed to
comply with the highest international standards in terms of quality,
as well as environment, health and safety. The preservation of the
environment is a critical consideration in the facility's
construction, with a maximization of resource efficiency and
minimized waste generation in the course of the manufacturing
process.

"We firmly believe that complying with the highest quality,
environment, health and safety standards is a natural commitment to
the communities where we operate, as well as a prerequisite to
ensuring the availability of high-quality medicines for patients,"
said E. Allan Gabor, President and Chief Executive Officer of Merck
Serono China. "By building our new facility in the great city of
Nantong, we are committing our resources to the clear objective that
our drugs be made more readily available for hospitals, doctors and
patients in China. This emphasis is part of a greater goal to promote
not just better access to medicines, but better access to health for
every person in this country. This is a key goal for China, and this
is Merck Serono's commitment."

About Merck Serono China

Headquartered in Beijing, Merck Serono China currently employs
1,400 people in the country.

Merck Serono China offers a portfolio of medicines addressing some
of the key rising healthcare needs of the Chinese population,
including the division's leading brands serving patients with cancer
(Erbitux(R)), infertility (Gonal-f(R)), cardiometabolic diseases
(Concor(R)), as well as endocrine diseases (Glucophage(R),
Euthyrox(R) and Thyrozol(R) ).

Merck Serono China also has branch offices in key cities, a
research center in Beijing, clinical development capabilities across
the country, as well as an extensive network of collaborations with
leading academic and medical institutions, as well as local
companies.

About Merck Serono

Merck Serono is the biopharmaceutical division 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 http://www.merckserono.com.

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Merck is a leading company for innovative and top-quality
high-tech products in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors. With
its four divisions Merck Serono, Consumer Health, Performance
Materials and Merck Millipore, Merck generated total revenues of EUR
11.1 billion in 2013. Around 39,000 Merck employees work in 66
countries to improve the quality of life for patients, to further the
success of customers and to help meet global challenges. Merck 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 percent interest, the
founding family remains the majority owner of the company to this
day. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany is holding the global rights to the
Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are Canada and the United
States, where the company is known as EMD.

Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140827/703175

ots Originaltext: Merck Serono GmbH
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Contact: Bénédicte Bogh, Phone +41-79-500-0137