Merck Serono Announces Collaboration in Basic and Clinical Research in Multiple Sclerosis

GENEVA, December 16 - Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today
announced a strategic collaboration with US ranked Brigham and Women's
Hospital in Boston, to advance basic and clinical research in multiple
sclerosis (MS), with the goal of generating new and innovative discoveries
that advance treatment for people living with this condition. The multi-
faceted agreement will run for up to 5 years, with the potential to renew the
alliance thereafter. Both parties decided not to disclose financial details.

"We are extremely proud to announce this valuable
collaboration with the renowned Brigham and Women's Hospital," says Dr.
Bernhard Kirschbaum, Executive Vice President Research and Development at
Merck Serono. "As a global leader in the area of neurodegenerative diseases,
we have an unwavering commitment to advancing research efforts in key
therapeutic areas like MS where there is still the need for new and
innovative treatments. Ultimately, we hope that this unique collaboration
will generate new discoveries which will truly make a difference both for
physicians in the clinic and in the way people living with MS approach their
therapy."

The collaboration will focus on three key areas, each with the
goal of identifying new and better ways to manage neurodegenerative
conditions including MS:

    - The first is to enhance an existing long-term, longitudinal,
      clinical assessment of people living with MS, based on the CLIMB study
      (Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis at
      Brigham and Women's Hospital). Each patient in the study will be
      assessed over a period of 10 years; currently 800 patients are
      enrolled, with an expansion of this study to 2000 subjects underway.
      This longitudinal database will be analyzed to identify novel aspects
      of disease characteristics, treatment responses, and disease-modifying
      factors. The data gathered from this assessment of people living with
      MS over a long period of time may be useful in the generation of new
      clinical endpoints for future interventional trials.

    - The second goal of the collaboration is to identify
      MS-related biomarkers. These samples will be analyzed for the purposes
      of evaluating identified target biomarkers; exploring and validating
      new biomarkers; correlating biomarkers with clinical and MRI outcomes;
      and designing an interventional proof-of-concept study.

    - The third goal of the collaboration is to identify unique
      targets on resident cells of the central nervous system and assess
      their potential impact in neurodegenerative diseases including MS.
      These studies are important to better understand ways to achieve
      neuroprotection in neurodegenerative diseases.

Additional projects may be added to the scope of the
collaboration on an ongoing basis.

This unique collaboration will create an unprecedented
combination of expertise between Merck Serono, a leader in the
biopharmaceutical industry with marketed products to treat MS, as well as
Brigham and Women's, a globally recognized hospital, academic, and research
institution.

"The strategic alliance with Merck Serono allows us to
collaborate with a leading biopharmaceutical organization to strengthen our
understanding of the disease pathology behind neurological diseases like MS,"
said Dr. Howard Weiner, Director of the Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center
and Co-Director of the Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women's
Hospital.

This agreement underscores Merck Serono's commitment to
partnering with leading academic and medical institutions in an effort to
drive forward late-stage research and early-stage clinical development in MS
and other neurodegenerative diseases.

About Merck Serono

Merck Serono is the division for innovative prescription
pharmaceuticals of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a global pharmaceutical
and chemical company. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Merck Serono
discovers, develops, manufactures and markets innovative small molecules and
biopharmaceuticals to help patients with unmet medical needs. In the United
States and Canada, EMD Serono operates through separately incorporated
affiliates.

Merck Serono has leading brands serving patients with cancer (Erbitux(R),
cetuximab), multiple sclerosis (Rebif(R), interferon beta-1a), infertility
(Gonal-f(R), follitropin alpha), endocrine and metabolic disorders (Saizen(R)
and Serostim(R), somatropin), (Kuvan(R), sapropterin dihydrochloride) as well
as cardiometabolic diseases (Glucophage(R), metformin), (Concor(R),
bisoprolol), (Euthyrox(R), levothyroxine). 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 approximately 33,000 employees in 60 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

Merck Serono, 9 Chemin des Mines, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, Media Relations: +41-22-414-3600