A Tale of Two Mercks as Protesters Take On Wrong Company
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Activists gathered with signs outside Merck’s East London offices last week, protesting the drugmaker’s involvement in a campaign to delay South Africa’s proposal to allow low-cost copies of patented drugs.
The only problem: The group STOPAIDS targeted the wrong Merck. The protesters were at the offices of Merck KGaA, a Darmstadt, Germany-based company that makes pharmaceuticals, chemicals and laboratory equipment. The company involved in organizing the industry campaign in South Africa is Merck & Co., the drugmaker from Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.