Merck could relocate some operations to Romania

American giant Merck Sharp&Dohme (MSD), one of the top ten producers of patent drugs worldwide, is examining the possibility of relocating some of its operations to Central and Eastern Europe, with Romania included amongst its list of targeted states. "We are considering moving some of our activities to Central and Eastern Europe and there is a very strong possibility that it will actually happen, because there are highly qualified people there. We are considering Romania, as well, in particular due to continued low costs. We are planning on setting up centres of excellence and Romania is definitely on our list," said Stefan J. Oschmann, president for Europe, the Middle East, Africa & Canada of Merck & Co. Centres of excellence are clinical trial centres endowed with modern equipment and IT technology, which can monitor and enrol a large number of patients per year. Cen tres of excellence are usually set up within National Institutes, which deal with various diseases. Over the last two years, around 100 patients have been enrolled for clinical trials conducted by Merck.