MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme) announced the spin-off of its women’s health, established brands and biosimilars businesses into a new independent company with sustainable growth: Organon & Co will be based in Lucerne.
27.01.2021 08:00 Europe/Zurich
MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme announced on February 5, 2020, the spinoff of its women’s health, proven established brands and biosimilars businesses to a new independent company. The transaction is expected to be completed during Q2 of 2021. Organon & Co (Organon), the name of the new spin-off, has a strong brand value and is widely recognized among healthcare professionals for its commitment to patients and innovation. Organon is committed to global leadership and sustainable growth in women’s health, leveraging the full potential of established brands and the growing biosimilars business. MSD will remain the leading research-intensive biopharmaceutical company. MSD wants to strengthen its focus on key drivers in oncology, vaccines, acute care and animal health.
New Organon group to establish home base in Lucerne
Following the decision to create Organon as an independent patient-focused company, Organon has chosen the City of Lucerne as its Swiss base at Weystrasse. The Organon presence in Switzerland will include a wide range of local, regional and global functions including scientific, medical, commercial, administrative and more. This decision represents a significant commitment to the City and the Canton of Lucerne, recognizing the opportunities it offers as a growing environment for biopharmaceutical innovation and offering unparalleled opportunities. The Director of Economic Affairs, Fabian Peter, is pleased about the decision: “The establishment of Organon, as a new company, in Lucerne is an asset for our business and innovation location.”
About MSD in Switzerland
MSD Switzerland employs over 1000 people working in local, regional and global functions across four sites in the canton of Lucerne and one site in the canton of Zurich. Our business activities are subdivided in the two divisions, Human Health and Animal Health.
MSD Human Health covers a broad range of biopharmaceuticals. Our areas of research and development are focusing on Oncology and Immuno-Oncology as well as Vaccines to prevent diseases for children, young people, and adults against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), Ebola, Hepatitis, Pneumococcus, Meningococcus, Measles, Rubella, Chickenpox and Herpes Zoster. In addition, MSD is conducting research in the area of infectious diseases to find new therapeutic approaches for antibiotic resistance, HIV/Aids and Hepatitis C. Further research focuses include immunology (auto-immune diseases) as well as cardiometabolic diseases and Diabetes. MSD has a long-lasting legacy in contributing to major public health challenges, such as River Blindness, Ebola and SARS-CoV-2.
MSD Animal Health develops and markets products for the prevention, treatment and control of disease in farm animals and pets. With the most innovative and largest product portfolio for animal health in Switzerland, MSD contributes substantially to animals’ wellbeing.
Our company has one of the largest clinical research programs worldwide. MSD Switzerland conducts 25 clinical trials per year for which the required medicines are manufactured at our research & development site in Schachen. The Schachen site operates since 2018 one of the three MSD forensic laboratories worldwide, investigating in manipulations and counterfeiting of MSD products – an important contribution to patient safety.
At the newly opened Zurich site “The Circle”, our company sets the focus on research & development, data management and the commercialization of our medicines and vaccines. The Zurich hub offers a state-of-the-art work environment where our empowered, culturally diverse and inclusive workforce focuses on scientific excellence to improve people’s health.
MSD Switzerland plays an active role in its community and supports a range of local and regional initiatives as for example MSD for mothers, the health congress “Trendtage Gesundheit Luzern”, and the Swiss City Marathon Lucerne.
Since 2013, MSD Switzerland has been continuously certified as a Top Employer and is pioneering a gender-neutral parental leave program for employees.
For more information www.msd.ch, de.msd-animal-health.ch
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About MSD
For more than 125 years, MSD has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. MSD is a trade name of Merck & Co., Inc., with headquarters in Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to healthcare through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, MSD continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals — including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases — as we aspire to be the premier researchintensive biopharmaceutical company in the world.
For more information, visit https://www.msd.com and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Media department MSD Switzerland
media.switzerland@merck.com | Tel. 058 618 30 30
Jean-Blaise Defago (Policy & Communications Director)
© 2021 MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme AG, Werftestrasse 4, 6005 Luzern. . All rights reserved.
CH-NON-01000, 01/2021