BioMed 2010: Merck-Serono reaches out to collaborate with Israeli companies and entrepreneurs

This is done through Inter-lab is the company’s R&D center in Israel • Inter-Lab CEO, Regine Shevach: “The Israeli science has a special zest to it, one which we are thrilled to encounter time and time again; Together with Merck Serono, this special zest can create the next blockbuster drug…”

Merck Serono, the largest biotechnology company in Europe, is calling on Israeli entrepreneurs and companies to collaborate, through the company’s R&D center in Israel – Inter-Lab.

Merck Serono is a division of the German giant pharmaceutical company Merck (Merck KGaA), traded in Germany (MRGG.DE). Merck Serono is the manufacturer of the drug Rebif® for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, developed by Inter-Lab in Israel (formerly known as InterPharm). Rebif® is one of the leading drugs in the world for the treatment of MS, with sales of EU 429 million during Q1 2010. In 2009, Rebif® sales were EU 1.537 billion. The Merck Group employs over 33,000 employees worldwide.

In the company’s call to collaborate to entrepreneurs, Merck Serono states that it is the ideal partner of choice for the development of new drugs and has a proven track record of developing blockbuster drugs:  Rebif® for the treatment of MS, Erbitux® for the treatment of oncological diseases and Gonal-F® for fertility treatments. All of these drugs have Israeli roots.

Inter-lab CEO, Ms Regine Shevach; “The Israeli science has a special zest to it, one which we are thrilled to encounter time and time again. Together with Merck Serono, this special zest can create the next blockbuster drug. We are reaching out and looking for unique collaborations, also from the very early stages of drug development. In our R&D center in Yavne, we offer the best team of scientists using the most advanced laboratories in Israel.”

The CEO of Inter-Lab also stated: “the biggest challenge today is developing a commercial drug from a molecule in its early stages of development. We are among the very few that posses the professional know-how in the development of biotechnological drugs, and part of a larger company that is a leader in all the stages of drug development. Merck Serono has a long standing commitment to Israel, which commenced over 30 years ago. We are very experienced in the biotechnology industry and are already receiving feedback to our call for collaborations at the Israeli BioMed 2010 convention.

Inter-Lab, managed by Ms Regine Shevach, was established in 1978 by Serono, which was purchased in 2006 by the German pharmaceutical giant Merck KGaA. Following the acquisition, Serono became the Merck Serono division within Merck. Inter-Lab is the company’s R&D center in Israel.

One of the big breakthroughs in the biotech industry in Israel is Inter-Labs’ development of the drug Rebif® – one of the leading drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The company performs research on cells and comprises a unique knowledge center which specializes in the development of genetically engineered cells, used in the development and production of new drugs.  Inter-lab’s scientists have accumulated decades of experience in the field. In addition, Inter-Lab is involved in scouting for new ventures in Israeli academia and industry for the Merck Group.

The Merck Group markets its drugs through its subsidiary, Merck Serono. Merck Serono Israel is managed by Ms Sherry Perlov. The Company offices are located in Herzliya. Merck Serono markets the following fertility drugs in the local market: GONAL-f®, Luveris®, Ovidrel/Ovitrelle®, Cetrotide® and Crinone®, as well as the Rebif® drug for MS treatment and drugs for oncology treatments, such as UFT® and Erbitux® (cetuximab).

Erbitux® (cetuximab) is approved in Israel for treating patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in combination with irinotecan after failure of irinotecan-based therapy, and locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) in combination with radiation therapy.

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