Merck (MRK +0.54%) has named a new head of research. Roger Perlmutter steps into the roles of executive vice president and president of Merck Research Laboratories. He replace of the retiring Peter Kim, effective April 15.
Perlmutter worked at Amgen for over a decade, serving in various positions from early 2001 to February 2012. Most recently, he was head of R&D at that company. Prior to his tenure at Amgen, he worked as a professor at the University of Washington, where he also was chairman of the department of immunology.
Kim, who Merck says will remain as an advisor to the company after Perlmutter's ascension, is to retire in August.
