Merck plans to shift India head office to Mumbai

NEW DELHI: US-based drugmaker Merck plans to relocate headquarter of its India office to Mumbai, making it the third major pharma company to shift key Indian business out of Delhi NCR to the financial capital. Sanofi Aventis had moved the head office of its Indian vaccine arm Sanofi Pasteur, along with 20 top management executives, to Mumbai this February. Last year, Ranbaxy had moved its entire India marketing team to Mumbai.

A spokesman for MSD said Mumbai provides certain advantages in terms of getting talent, besides being the country’s commercial capital. “The proposal is at a conceptual stage and we are in the process of finalising it,” he said. Merck may relocate only the top management.

The decision is a part of an integration process following the global merger of Merck and Schering Plough. At present, Merck’s Indian headquarters is located in Delhi, while Schering Plough operates out of Mumbai. The combined entity in India is now headed by KG Ananthakrishnan, the former Schering Plough’s India chief, and is based in Mumbai.

A similar move led Sanofi Aventis to shift Sanofi Pasteur office to Mumbai where its India head will also be based. In 2004, Aventis merged with Sanofi to create the world’s third-largest pharmaceutical company. Aventis Pasteur changed its name to Sanofi Pasteur. Sanofi Pasteur has retained its Delhi office and some employees will continue to operate from the existing location.