DARMSTADT, Germany ― Asia has in recent years become more important than ever for Merck Serono, a top pharmaceutical firm that is one of Merck’s four divisions.

“Asia will always stay very important. It is one of our cornerstones,” said Elcin Ergun, the global head of sales of Merck Serono.

Her comments come in the wake of a recession in Europe that has hit the company, whose sales still depend largely on the European market.

Ergun noted that in Asia, Korea is one of the top markets ― worth up to $10 billion, according to industry figures.

“It is also one of the most sophisticated markets because Korea in general, it is far ahead of some of its neighbors,” Ergun said. “We may be commercializing one of our first biosimilars in Korea in the coming years if all the regulations go as planned.”

She also mentioned plans for increasing Merck Serono’s research base in Korea, adding that an East Asian hub for the company was created in Japan.

“However, Asia is not an easy place to do business in, due to regulatory differences on intellectual property and the need to take a two-track approach,” Ergun said.

The latter results from the differing levels of development in Asian countries, along with the contrast in the rural and city areas.

Ergun also talked of goals for renewing growth in Europe, which remains the most important market for Merck Serono.

The executive was originally part of Serono in Turkey. Merck eventually took over the operations in 2006, after which she was made the global head of commercials.

Regarding her rise as a woman, Ergun noted that diversification is among the top management goals for Merck Group.

By Kim Ji-hyun, Korea Herald correspondent
(jemmie@heraldcorp.com)