Merck KGaA announced today that its world-wide OTC business, part of the Pharmaceuticals Division, will be restructured into a global Consumer Healthcare (CHC) unit, effective immediately. One cornerstone of the new organisation will be product innovation and acquisition. Accordingly, Dr Joachim Bug (37) has been named General Manager, R&D and Scientific Affairs, responsible for the world- wide product development. He will be in charge of the three CHC product development sites (Lyon/France, Hull/UK and Darmstadt/Germany). Gilbert Mertens (54) has been named General Manager, Business Development and Communication, responsible for the CHC acquisition program. World-wide operations will be split into four continental regions. "With this new structure, Merck KGaA underlines its clear commitment to fast and strong growth in its world-wide Consumer Healthcare business", states Volker Keidtel (58) who has been appointed recently as Head of Merck KGaAs global Consumer Healthcare business. "We are confident that the dynamism of the new team, combined with our ambitious expansion plans, will help us achieve our DM one billion sales target", Keidtel added. Together with Ethicals and Generics, CHC is one of the three core areas of Merck KGaA's world-wide pharmaceutical business. In 1999, CHC reported global sales of EUR 262 m, up +16.6 percent from EUR 225 in the previous year, due to both natural growth and an internal reassignment of product lines. ots Original Text Service: Merck KGaA Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Dr. Hartmut Vennen Tel. +49 6151 72 2386 Fax +49 6151 72 7707 E-mail hartmut.vennen@merck.de