Bernhard Scheuble Appointed As CEO Of The MERZ Group

FRANKFURT, Germany, September 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Prof. Dr. Bernhard Scheuble (53) will head the pharmaceutical company MERZ, Frankfurt, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective 1 October 2006. Scheuble's most recent position was Chairman of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt. By appointing Bernhard Scheuble, the shareholders' meeting of MERZ, chaired by Dr Jochen Hückmann, has taken a decisive step towards securing the company's future. Dr Hückmann (64) will be the Group Chairman and Chairman of the Shareholders' Committee of the Merz Group.

Hückmann commented the forthcoming change: "We are very pleased to have attracted an internationally renowned expert in the pharmaceutical industry like Prof. Dr. Scheuble to our company. In so doing, our company has taken a decisive step towards securing its future as an independent, privately-owned company." Hückmann highlighted that the appointment of Scheuble means the group will be led by an entrepreneur who has few peers in the sector with regard to long-term successful perspective and sustainability. His attitude fits the values and strategy of the Merz Group excellently and is regarded as essential for success in the pharmaceutical industry.

Scheuble said: "I have known and respected Dr Hückmann and MERZ for many years. I am very impressed by his personal integrity and the attitude of the company. Therefore, I'm pleased to be joining MERZ. MERZ has every prospect of benefiting from the challenges of research-based pharmaceutical industry and meeting patients' requirements with high ethical standards. Working in such an environment is highly attractive to me."

Prior to joining MERZ Prof. Dr. Bernhard Scheuble served as Chairman of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt until November 2005. He chaired the company since mid 2000 and was a member of the Executive Board since 1998. Scheuble is a member of a number of boards in industry, science and the arts. He is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Japanese-German Centre in Berlin (JDZB) and Joint Chairman of the German-Japanese Forum (DJF). Since May 2006, Scheuble is a member of the Board of Directors of Solvay S.A., Brussels.

MERZ focuses on pharmaceutical products for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders and has a leading position in a current research of Alzheimer's. With Memantine, MERZ has developed the world's first product for treating moderate to severe stages of Alzheimers. Memantine is worldwide the second largest product in treating Alzheimers. Merz also specialises in clinical and cosmetic dermatology.In addition to the pharmaceutical market, Merz is active in the consumer health sector. With its registered trademarks tetesept(R) and Merz Spezial, it is a leading supplier in German speaking countries of self medication, food supplement, beauty and wellness products. A Merz subsidiary, Senator GmbH, is a leading international manufacturer of writing instruments. The Merz Group employs 1,900 staff worldwide.

Contact: Merz GmbH & Co. KGaA Ute Weinhold Corporate Communications Eckenheimer Landstrasse 100 60318 Frankfurt Phone.: +49-(0)-69-15-03-889 Fax: +49-(0)-69-15-03-581 E-Mail: ute.weinhold@merz.de

Merz GmbH & Co. KG aA

CONTACT: Contact: Merz GmbH & Co. KgaA, Ute Weinhold, CorporateCommunications, Eckenheimer Landstrasse 100, 60318 Frankfurt, Phone.:+49-(0)-69-15-03-889, Fax: +49-(0)-69-15-03-581, E-Mail:ute.weinhold@merz.de

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