Abbott, Merck Serono and Roche announce partnership in biotech development

MANNHEIM, Germany Three drug makers announced Monday at the opening of the BIO-Europe 2008 Partnering Conference that they would join forces in the development of the Biotechnology Cluster Rhine-Neckar to establish a leading position in the field of medical biotechnology in Europe.

Two of the companies, Merck Serono and Roche, already operate in the BioRN cluster, which recently received a 40 million euro grant from Germany’s Ministry for Education and Research. The third company, Abbott, has expressed interest in participating in future projects in the BioRN cluster.

“The success of the BioRN cluster, which brings together some 100 partners in business and research, rests partly on the excellent pioneering research being done here in the Rhine-Neckar region and on the presence of several major corporations, many of them global leaders in their field, such as Roche, Merck Serono and Abbott,’ Roche Diagnostics Division chief executive Jurgen Schwiezer said in a statement.

Merck Serono is the biotechnology division of Merck KGaA, which is based in Germany and independent of Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck & Co.