Companies

Merck is one of the oldest still operating chemical-pharmaceutical companies in the world. Its roots go back to the year 1668, when Friedrich Jacob Merck purchased the Engel-Apotheke in Darmstadt. In 1827 Heinrich Emanuel Merck started with the large-scale production of alkaloids, followed by plant extracts and many other chemicals in a standardized high quality. In 1900 Merck offered about 10 000 articles, exported in many countries, and founded subsidiaries throughout the world. In 1995 Merck went public. Shareholders hold 26.2 % of the total capital, while the Merck family holds 73.8 % of the capital through E. Merck as general partner. Merck leads the operating activities of the Merck Group as the parent company. In the past, Merck has continuously extended its pharmaceutical research capabilities through the acquisition of companies and through partnerships and strategic alliances. A new corporate research strategy has been developed to improve operational efficiency and to increase competitiveness. It has been devised by a team of experts from seven research sites (Darmstadt, Lyon, Chilly-Mazarin, Monaco, Lexington, Aberdeen, and Barcelona) within the "Symphony" project. This has been established to optimize the drug discovery process by leveraging skills, capabilities, and technologies at the corporate level.Merck has the following subsidiaries: EMD USA, EMS Chemicals USA, VWR International USA, Merck (France), Merck Generics Holding (Germany), Merck Consumer Healthcare Holding (Germany), Merck et Cle (Switzerland), Merck (UK), Merck (Spain), Merck (Mexico), Merck (Brazil), Merck (Japan), Merck (India), Merck Kanto Advanced Chemicals.