By Henok Reta
A leading German pharmaceutical company, Merck, officially opened its representative office in Ethiopia on Wednesday.
The Merck representative office in Addis Ababa is the first regional hub established by a multinational company to cover Sudan, Ethiopia, and French-speaking Africa, according to Elcin Ergun, Vice President and Global Head of Commercial of Merck.
Due to Ethiopia's continual economic growth and stability, the company had decided to settle in the continental hub, Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Executive Board of E. Merck KG and member of the Merck family said. "In the pharmaceutical market, our brands have a long tradition and remain golden standards in their respective areas. I strongly believe that our trusted name and products, strong values and unique capabilities will support partnership approach to build and sustain in Ethiopia," he said.
Besides the opening of the new Merck office in Addis Ababa, the company announced two corporate responsibility projects ongoing in Ethiopia: the Merck Praziquantel Donation Program and the donation of Minilabs by the Global Pharma Health Found, a charitable organization founded by Merck.
With an unconditional commitment to quality over the decades, Merck has built a reputation as a reliable, trustworthy partner, according to corporate officials. Merck has been committed to fighting against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) along with the World Health Organization (WHO). It donated more than 7 million tablets that have total value of USD 700000 in 2012 in Ethiopia. Moreover, it has been planning to donate around six million tablets in 2014 in an effort to tackle schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzias. Praziquantel is the only active ingredient with which all forms of schistosomiasis can be treated, and this therapy is considered to be the most effective treatment in the fight against parasitic worm disease, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Source: AllAfrica
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