Merck’s Perlmutter Is Retiring, Handing Over Keytruda To Li

New R&D Head Comes From Discovery And Translation Group

 
• By Mandy Jackson
  
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Merck Research Laboratories president Roger Perlmutter returned to the company when its R&D was at a crossroads. Now he is retiring and handing the company’s post-Keytruda growth over to SVP Dean Li.  

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Perlmutter will pass the Merck Research Laboratories keys to Li on 1 January • Source: Shutterstock

Merck & Co., Inc. is in better shape now than it was in 2013 when Roger Perlmutter rejoined the big pharma as president of Merck Research Laboratories, largely because of the mega-blockbuster Keytruda. Now, the company announced on 2 October, Perlmutter is retiring and handing over ongoing research and development of the PD-1 inhibitor as well as the R&D group’s efforts to generate novel products to Dean Li, senior vice president of discovery sciences and translational medicines.

Perlmutter will officially hand over the MRL keys to Li on 1 January but will remain as executive director of...

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