Merck Serono Named as a Top Employer by Science Magazine

Merck Serono, a Division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Placed in the Top 10 Among Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Companies for the Third Year in a Row

GENEVA, Switzerland, October 8, 2010 - Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany,
today announced it has been named one of the top 10 employers in the
biotechnology industry by Science magazine, a leading peer-reviewed
international scientific publication. Merck, including Merck Serono in
Geneva, Switzerland, and EMD Serono in the United States, ranked ninth among
biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. This is the third
consecutive year that the company has ranked in the top 10.

"Merck Serono is proud of the environment we foster within our
Research and Development teams where our associates are intellectually
curious and thrive on new opportunities," said Dr. Bernhard Kirschbaum,
Executive Vice President Research and Development, Merck Serono. "Our
dedication to innovation demonstrates a key component to our success, and we
are committed to developing therapies that make a difference in people's
lives."

The survey yielded responses from 2,444 individuals and ranked
companies based on 23 defining characteristics, including corporate image,
leadership and direction, work culture/environment and intellectual
challenge, among others. Participants came from North America (72%), Europe
(22%), and the Pacific Rim (5%).

Merck Serono received high scores in the areas of having loyal
employees, being socially responsible and doing important, quality research.

Science and the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS) commissioned Cell Associated and The Brighton Consulting Group
to conduct the survey to determine which employers in the biotech and
pharmaceutical industries had the best reputations. Email questionnaires were
sent to AAAS members, Science Career registrants, Science website visitors
registered with AAAS, and past survey takers, as well as human resource
contacts from the Science Careers database.

Science Magazine's ninth annual Top Employer feature became
available in print and online October 8, 2010 and includes detailed survey
results for the top 20 companies overall.

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 alfa), 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 more than EUR 1 billion,
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 7.7 billion in 2009, a history that began in 1668, and
a future shaped by approximately 40,000 (including Merck Millipore) employees
in 64 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 Geneve, Suisse; Media relations, Tel: +41-22-414-36-00