Merck

Peter Loescher has been named president of Merck’s Global Human Health business.

Mr. Loescher will oversee more than 35,000 employees and have direct responsibility for Merck’s four marketing and sales divisions: U.S. Human Health, Human Health Asia Pacific, Human Health Intercontinental (Europe, Middle East, Africa, Canada and Latin America), and Merck Vaccines. He will be responsible for preparing, launching and marketing new products; optimizing the performance of existing Merck products; and ensuring a high-performing marketing and sales operation worldwide. Mr. Loescher will report to Richard T. Clark, chief executive officer and president.

Mr. Loescher is a veteran of the health care industry with significant global experience. Since 2004, he has served as president and chief executive officer, GE Healthcare Bio-Sciences, a $3 billion global organization headquartered in the UK with 10,000 employees that includes the medical diagnostics and life sciences businesses. While at GE, he also was appointed to the company’s corporate executive council and assumed responsibility for GE Healthcare’s Government Advocacy Program. Mr. Loescher joined GE in 2004 after it acquired Amersham, where he served as chief operating officer and member of the board of directors.

Prior to joining Amersham, Mr. Loescher served more than 16 years in senior management roles in the pharmaceutical industry, including as chairman, president and chief executive officer for Aventis Pharma Japan from 2000 to 2002. While at Aventis, he also served as chairman of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA Japan), a pharmaceutical trade association. Previously, Mr. Loescher held a variety of international leadership roles at Hoechst, Aventis’ predecessor, which he joined in 1988.