Mervyn J. Turner, Ph.D.
Chief Strategy Officer, Merck & Co.; SVP, Emerging Markets, Merck Research Laboratories
Dr. Mervyn Turner joined Merck Research Laboratories in 1985. Over the last 19 years, he has held many positions of increasing responsibility at Merck. Most recently, in August 1999, Dr. Turner was appointed Senior Vice President, Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Turner returned from his assignment in Montreal in October 2002 to take up his current position as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Licensing and External Research. In this role, he is responsible for the oversight of all of Merck’s licensing activities, and for the management of academic relations. Through his multiple and diverse experiences in the Merck Research Laboratories, Dr. Turner has acquired a broad perspective on the issues surrounding drug discovery and development.
2003 saw a sizeable increase in deal activity for Merck, with 47 transactions completed. Already, in 2004, 13 deals have been completed, including alliances with BMS (muraglitazar, PIII for Type II diabetes) and Lundbeck (gaboxadol, PIII, sleep), plus the acquisition of Aton and their HDAC inhibitor program (SAHA, Phase IIb, Cutaneous T cell Lymphoma). Dr. Turner sees this activity as a logical product of a cultural shift towards a more outward-facing organization.
Dr. Turner is the author of over 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He has served on the Editorial Board of a number of journals, and since 1998 has been a member of Health Care Ventures Scientific Advisory Board.