Sanat Chattopadhyay to head up Merck’s manufacturing division

Pharmaceutical company Merck has announced that Sanat Chattopadhyay is to take charge of its manufacturing division.

Mr Chattopadhyay will be the body's executive vice president and president and will take up the position at the start of April.

He is taking over from Willie Deese, who is retiring in June after more than a decade at Merck.

Kenneth Frazier, chairman and chief executive officer of Merck, has welcomed Mr Chattopadhyay on board, as he has more than 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry.

"Sanat has a proven track record of commercialisation, manufacturing and supply chain excellence in therapeutic proteins, vaccines and pharmaceuticals," he commented.

Mr Frazier added that he is confident Merck's manufacturing division will thrive under his leadership and continue advancing towards its goal of becoming a world-class supplier.

He went on to praise the outgoing Mr Deese, saying that division's ability to serve patients and customers across the world has significantly improved under his leadership.