Merck Serono and Fast Forward, LLC Announce Collaboration to Accelerate Development of Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis

GENEVA, Switzerland - Merck Serono and Fast Forward Agree to Work Together to Speed Research
and Development on a Select Group of High Potential MS Research Projects With
Support of up to $19 Million in Funding

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt Germany, and Fast
Forward, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American National Multiple
Sclerosis Society, today announced a collaborative partnership to evaluate
and fund promising multiple sclerosis (MS) research projects. Proposals will
be jointly developed by Merck Serono and Fast Forward. Merck KGaA will
provide up to $19 million in funding. The funds will support early stage
clinical development projects with biotech companies or projects with
individual researchers or academic institutions.

To speed MS research and clinical development the companies have entered
into a two-year worldwide agreement that may extend for an additional three
years.

“Merck Serono and the American National Multiple Sclerosis
Society have an unwavering commitment to the support of early stage research
in the quest to find new and improved treatment options for MS patients. It
is with great excitement that our organization supports this initiative with
Fast Forward, which will explore new avenues to advance new MS treatments
with the potential to transform people’s lives,” said Fereydoun Firouz,
President and CEO of EMD Serono Inc. in the USA.

Fast Forward, LLC was established by the American National
Multiple Sclerosis Society to help bridge the gap between research and drug
development. To accomplish this goal, Fast Forward partners with early stage
biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to advance therapies, diagnostics,
medical devices, and related technologies to treat, reverse, and ultimately
cure MS. Fast Forward is committed to deploying its resources to spur
development of innovative MS therapies and bring them to market as quickly as
possible.

“Thanks to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s history
of supporting MS research and program services for people with MS, we have
tremendous knowledge about MS and the needs of people with MS. Yet the
ability of research institutions and business to bring projects forward is
lagging, particularly in this uncertain economic climate,” said Dr. Tim
Coetzee, Fast Forward’s Executive Director. “Partnerships with industry
leaders like Merck Serono equip us to move even more aggressively toward our
shared goal of a world free of MS.”

“Identification of innovative opportunities to change the MS
treatment paradigm is a critical aspect of addressing this disease. We are
pleased to bring to this alliance not only its financial support, but our
years of expertise and commitment in the field of MS research and
development,” said Bernhard Kirschbaum, PhD, Executive Vice President, Global
Research and Development, Merck Serono.

The Early Stage Commercial Company Fund and the Innovation
Accelerator Fund, the two programs in the Merck Serono collaboration,
complement Fast Forward’s ongoing efforts to spur early-stage drug discovery
for MS. Both programs will provide critical resources to underfunded stages
of the drug development process and align with Fast Forward’s strategy to
identify the most promising drug discovery research and accelerate the drug
development process by providing financial resources to move it forward.

Fast Forward will disseminate requests for proposals (RFPs) in
Q2 2009 with initial funding of proposals anticipated by December 2009. The
overall selection of program awardees will be made exclusively by Fast
Forward, with participation by Merck Serono under Fast Forward’s standard
assessment process. The priority areas to be selected for development
partnership will be determined by a joint committee comprising Fast Forward
staff and representatives from Merck Serono. All funding disbursements will
be managed and approved by the Fast Forward Board of Directors.

About multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory condition
of the central nervous system and is the most common, non-traumatic,
disabling neurological disease in young adults. It is estimated that more
than 2 million people have MS worldwide. While symptoms can vary, the most
common symptoms of MS include blurred vision, numbness or tingling in the
limbs and problems with strength and coordination. The relapsing forms of MS
are the most common.

About Fast Forward, LLC

Fast Forward, LLC is a nonprofit organization established by
the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in order to accelerate the
development of treatments for MS. Fast Forward will accomplish its mission by
connecting university-based MS research with private-sector drug development
and by funding small biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies to develop
innovative new MS therapies and repurpose FDA-approved drugs as new
treatments for MS. For more information visit www.fastforward.org

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

The National MS Society addresses the challenges of each
person affected by MS through funding cutting-edge research, driving change
through advocacy, facilitating professional education, collaborating with MS
organizations around the world, and providing programs and services designed
to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. In 2008
alone, through the national office and its 500-state network of chapters, the
Society devoted over $136 million to programs that enhanced more than one
million lives. The Society also invested nearly $50 million to support 440
research projects around the world. The Society is dedicated to achieving a
world free of MS. Join the movement at www.nationalMSsociety.org.

About Merck Serono

Merck Serono is the division for innovative prescription
pharmaceuticals of Merck, a global pharmaceutical and chemical group.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Merck Serono discovers, develops,
manufactures and markets innovative small molecules and biopharmaceuticals to
help patients with unmet medical needs. Its North American business operates
in the United States and Canada as EMD Serono.

Merck Serono has leading brands serving patients with cancer
(Erbitux(R), cetuximab), multiple sclerosis (Rebif(R), interferon beta-1a),
infertility (Gonal-f(R), follitropin alfa), endocrine and cardiometabolic
disorders (Glucophage(R), metformin); (Concor(R), bisoprolol); (Euthyrox(R),
levothyroxine); (Saizen(R) and Serostim(R), somatropin). Not all products are
available in all markets.

With an annual R&D expenditure of around EUR 1bn, Merck Serono
is committed to growing its business in specialist-focused therapeutic areas
including neurodegenerative diseases, oncology, fertility and endocrinology,
as well as new areas potentially arising out of research and development in
autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

About Merck

Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with total revenues
of EUR 7.6 billion in 2008, a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped
by 32,800 employees in 59 countries. Its success is characterized by
innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck’s operating activities come
under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the Merck family holds an
approximately 70% interest and free shareholders own the remaining
approximately 30%. In 1917 the U.S. subsidiary Merck & Co. was expropriated
and has been an independent company ever since.

For more information, please visit www.merckserono.com or
www.merck.de

Source: Merck Serono

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