EMD Millipore Honored as Bronze Stevie® Award Winner in 2012 American Business AwardsSM

• Innovative microbiological bioburden testing system recognized at ABA’s First Tech and New Product Awards Ceremony in San Francisco

BILLERICA, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EMD Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, was presented with a Bronze Stevie® Award for its Milliflex® Quantum rapid microbial detection system in the New Product of the Year category at the 10^th Annual American Business Awards last night. The Milliflex® Quantum system works faster than traditional testing methods allowing drug and vaccine manufacturers to detect microorganism contamination earlier in the production process.

“This award recognizes EMD Millipore’s commitment to provide truly differentiated products to our customers”

“This award recognizes EMD Millipore’s commitment to provide truly differentiated products to our customers”, said Roland Heinrich, Ph.D., Vice President for Biomonitoring in EMD Millipore’s Lab Solutions Business Unit. “Milliflex® Quantum, which offers key attributes of increased efficiency, user-friendly design and reduced cycle times specifically meet the needs of scientists conducting pharma and food microbiological testing in industrial quality control laboratories.”

“We’re delighted to recognize so many innovative companies, new products, technical achievements, and technology executives in the ABA’s new product and tech awards categories,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie® Awards. “It’s gratifying and inspiring to have received so many remarkable entries for this year’s competition. We look forward to staging this event in San Francisco for years to come.”

The Milliflex® Quantum system is designed for testing raw material, in-process samples, final product and environmental samples. It is non-destructive, an important feature that enables operators to grow microorganisms in order to identify them with standard ID technology.

The product is traditionally used in the following markets: pharmaceutical non-sterile and sterile products, active pharmaceutical ingredients, biopharmaceutical processes and serum/plasma manufacturing. In addition, the product can be used in soft drink testing, drinking water testing, brewery and cider microbiological testing.

The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for “crowned,” the trophies were presented to winners during a gala banquet on Monday, September 17 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco. More than 200 nominees and their guests attended. This year, for the first time, The American Business Awards were presented at two awards events: the traditional awards banquet in New York in June, and at a new tech and product awards event last night in San Francisco.

More than 3,000 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Most Innovative Company of the Year, Management Team of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others. Stevie® Award winners were selected by more than 270 executives nationwide who participated in the judging process this year.

Details about The American Business Awards and the lists of Stevie® Award winners who were announced on September 17 are available at www.stevieawards.com/aba.

About EMD Millipore

EMD Millipore is the Life Science division of Merck KGaA of Germany and offers a broad range of innovative, performance products, services and business relationships that enable our customers' success in research, development and production of biotech and pharmaceutical drug therapies. Through dedicated collaboration on new scientific and engineering insights, and as one of the top three R&D investors in the Life Science Tools industry, EMD Millipore serves as a strategic partner to customers and helps advance the promise of life science.

Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, the division has around 10,000 employees, operations in 67 countries and 2011 revenues of EUR 2.4 billion. EMD Millipore is known as Merck Millipore outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Note: Merck KGaA or Merck shall mean Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

About Merck

All Merck Press Releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Website. Please go to http://www.merck.de/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.

Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with total revenues of € 10.3 billion in 2011, a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped by more than 40,000 employees in 67 countries. Its success is characterized by innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck's operating activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the Merck family holds an approximately 70% interest and shareholders own the remaining approximately 30%. In 1917 the U.S. subsidiary Merck & Co. was expropriated and has been an independent company ever since.

About the Stevie® Awards

Stevie® Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about The Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.