- Business
- MERCK Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien (MER.SW), headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, and founded in 1668 as the world's oldest operating chemical and pharmaceutical company, operates as a leading multinational science and technology group with approximately 60,000 employees across 66 countries; the majority-owned entity (70.3% by the founding Merck family via E. Merck oHG) structures as a KGaA listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and DAX index, encompassing three core sectors: Healthcare, offering oncology products such as Erbitux (cetuximab), Mavenclad for multiple sclerosis, and therapies in fertility, endocrinology, general medicine including diabetes and cardiovascular treatments; Life Science, providing process solutions for biopharma manufacturing with single-use products, science and lab solutions under brands like Sigma-Aldrich, Millipore, SAFC, Supelco, Milli-Q, and Bioreliance for laboratories, quality control, biotech, pharma, diagnostics, academia, food safety, and environmental applications, plus contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services; Electronics, delivering advanced materials for semiconductors, displays, and surface solutions. The company maintains a global presence with around 250 subsidiaries serving diverse markets including pharmaceuticals, biomanufacturing, and high-tech industries. Recent developments include the completed $3.4 billion acquisition of SpringWorks Therapeutics in June 2025, adding FDA-approved therapies Ogsiveo for desmoid tumors and Gomekli for neurofibromatosis type 1 plexiform neurofibromas to bolster its rare oncology portfolio alongside positive European regulatory progress and a licensing deal for pimicotinib from Abbisko Therapeutics; a September 2025 memorandum of understanding with Siemens extending their partnership for AI-driven digital transformation in life sciences using Dotmatics technology; €300 million investment in a new Advanced Research Center in Darmstadt for biotechnological production including antibodies and mRNA by early 2027; and divestment of Surface Solutions to sharpen focus on high-growth sectors.