Serono
Serono was a biotechnology company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It was acquired by the German pharmaceutical company Merck in 2006. The company was founded as the Serono Pharmacological Institute by Cesare Serono in 1906 in Rome, Italy. A key step in its development was the discovery of a method of extracting urinary gonadotropins by Dr. Piero Donini. Serono was incorporated in 1987 and the holding company, Ares-Serono S.A., changed its name to Serono S.A. in May 2000.
| Company type | S.A |
|---|---|
| Industry | Biotechnology Pharmaceutical |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Founder | Cesare Serono |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Fate | Acquired by Merck Group |
| Successor | Merck Serono |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland (former Headquarters) |
Key people | Claudio Bertarelli (Chairman) Ernesto Bertarelli (CEO) |
| Products | Rebif Gonal-f Luveris Ovidrel/Ovitrelle Serostim Saizen Zorbtive Raptiva |
| Parent | Merck Group |
Serono develops and markets pharmaceuticals in the fields of reproductive health, multiple sclerosis, growth & metabolism and dermatology.
The eight biotechnology products are available in four core therapeutic areas: neurology for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, reproductive health for treatments of infertility, dermatology, where Serono has launched biologics in Europe for moderate-to-severe psoriasis, and growth and metabolism for treatments for HIV-associated wasting and growth deficiencies.
The company also conducts research in oncology and autoimmune diseases. Through the acquisition in 1997 of GBRI from GlaxoWelcome, becoming its Geneva based research institute named SPRI, and the Manteia Predictive Medicine spin-off, Serono also nursed the emergence of now a commercial leading massive parallel sequencing technology.