GENEVA, Switzerland, October 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced it has been named one of the top 10 employers in the biotechnology industry by Science magazine, a leading peer-reviewed international scientific publication. Merck, including Merck Serono in Geneva, Switzerland, and EMD Serono in the United States, ranked ninth among biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. This is the third consecutive year that the company has ranked in the top 10.
Merck Serono is proud of the environment we foster within our Research and Development teams where our associates are intellectually curious and thrive on new opportunities, said Dr. Bernhard Kirschbaum, Executive Vice President Research and Development, Merck Serono. Our dedication to innovation demonstrates a key component to our success, and we are committed to developing therapies that make a difference in people's lives.
The survey yielded responses from 2,444 individuals and ranked companies based on 23 defining characteristics, including corporate image, leadership and direction, work culture/environment and intellectual challenge, among others. Participants came from North America (72%), Europe (22%), and the Pacific Rim (5%).
Merck Serono received high scores in the areas of 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 resource contacts from the Science Careers database.
Science Magazine's ninth annual Top Employer feature became available in print and online October 8, 2010 and includes detailed survey results for the top 20 companies overall.
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 alfa), 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 RD expenditure of more than EUR 1 billion, 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 7.7 billion in 2009, a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped by approximately 40,000 (including Merck Millipore) employees in 64 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
SOURCE: Merck Serono S A
CONTACT: Merck Serono S.A., Geneva, 9 Chemin des Mines, 1202 Geneve,Suisse; Media relations, Tel: +41-22-414-36-00
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