Merck & Co., known as MSD outside the US and Canada, has announced a restructuring of its Human Health business as it prepares for a wave of product launches across multiple therapeutic areas.
Under the new structure, the company will operate through two business units: an Oncology Business Unit and a Specialty, Pharma & Infectious Diseases Business Unit. The reorganisation is aimed at sharpening commercial execution, sustaining leadership in oncology and supporting a broader, increasingly diversified portfolio.
As part of the changes, Jannie Oosthuizen has been appointed executive vice president and president, Oncology and MSD International. He previously led Merck’s Human Health U.S. business, overseeing profit and loss, strategy and commercial operations. Brian Foard will join the company as executive vice president and president, Specialty, Pharma & Infectious Diseases, effective March 2. Foard joins from Sanofi, where he headed the Specialty Care Business Unit, and brings prior experience from Galderma in global leadership roles.
Both executives will report to chairman and chief executive officer Robert M. Davis and serve on the company’s executive team.
In a related move, Chirfi Guindo has been appointed executive vice president, Strategic Access, Policy & Communications. The role consolidates access, policy, communications and sustainability functions to better align corporate strategy with stakeholder engagement globally. Guindo previously served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
The new structure is designed to support commercial delivery from its late-stage pipeline, which currently includes around 80 Phase III trials. The company expects more than 20 potential growth drivers in the coming years, most of which it believes have blockbuster potential.
The restructuring comes as large pharmaceutical companies increasingly recalibrate operating models to manage complex portfolios spanning oncology, specialty therapeutics and infectious diseases, while navigating evolving market access and policy environments.
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