Merck Serono: Data on Parkinson's Disease Investigational Drug Safinamide to Be Presented at AAN 2011 Annual Meeting

GENEVA, April 13, 2011 - Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany,
and its partner Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A., today announced that new data
on safinamide will be presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American
Academy of Neurology (AAN) taking place from April 9 to 16, in Honolulu,
Hawaii. Safinamide is currently being assessed in Phase III trials as add-on
treatment to dopamine agonist or levodopa in early to late stage Parkinson's
disease (PD).

"The data presented at the upcoming AAN meeting will further
contribute to the substantial body of knowledge about safinamide," said Dr.
Bernhard Kirschbaum, Merck Serono's Head of Global Research and Development.
"We are committed to provide new therapy options for patients with
Parkinson's disease, an area with significant remaining medical need."

"Newron is very excited about the results to be presented at
the AAN and we expect that results of the ongoing phase III trials will
further substantiate the emerging therapeutic profile of safinamide," said
Dr. Ravi Anand, Newron's Chief Medical Officer.

The following abstracts have been accepted for presentation at
the 63rd AAN Annual Meeting:

Safinamide

Late-breaking poster presentation

- First long-term (2-year) controlled study to evaluate
treatment with safinamide as add-on to levodopa in patients with Parkinson's
disease and motor fluctuations (poster P05.287, Wednesday, April 13, 2011,
2:00 PM)

Platform presentation

- Safinamide reduces levodopa-induced dyskinesia and extends
ON time over 7 days of daily dosing in the MPTP primate model (presentation
S33.002, Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 3:15 PM)

About Merck Serono

Merck Serono is the biopharmaceutical division of Merck KGaA,
Darmstadt, Germany, a global pharmaceutical and chemical company.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Merck Serono discovers, develops,
manufactures and markets prescription medicines of both chemical and
biological origin in specialist indications. In the United States and Canada,
EMD Serono operates as a separately incorporated affiliate of Merck 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 metabolic disorders
(Saizen(R) and Serostim(R), somatropin), (Kuvan(R), sapropterin
dihydrochloride), (Egrifta(TM), tesamorelin), 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 over 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
rheumatology.

About Merck

Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with
total revenues of EUR 9.3 billion in 2010, a history that began in 1668, and
a future shaped by more than 40,000 employees in 67 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 S.A. - Geneva, 9 Chemin des Mines, 1202 Genève, Suisse, Media relations, Tel: +41-22-414-36-00