Merck Sharpe and Dohme will establish a regional center for financial services in Costa Rica to support the company’s operations in Latin America, reported Costa Rica’s Foreign Trade Ministry yesterday.

Foreign Trade Minister Alexander Mora congratulated and thanked the company for its trust in Costa Rica.

“Costa Rica has a recognized track record as a competitive destination for companies like MSD thanks, among other things, to its climate of stability, and to the outstanding educational and health conditions of its population. With more than 45 years in the country, MSD continues to invest in Costa Rica with a new operation that represents an opportunity for professional growth for many Costa Ricans,”  said Mora.

The company plans to hire staff in the short and medium term thanks to this new facility. They are looking for personnel with knowledge in administration, accounting or finance, and knowledge of a second language, whether it be English, Portuguese or French.

The center will open in late May 2018, and will be located at City Place commercial center in Santa Ana. Individuals interested in a position with the company may apply directly via LinkedIn.

“With the implementation of the Regional Center for Financial Services, we will be increasing the number of MSD employees in this country, opening new direct jobs with a focus on continuous improvement, innovation and implementation of best practices, which will support economic development and Social development of the country,” said Susana Pardo, executive director of the new MSD regional center.

“This new investment in the country adds much more value to the operations that MSD currently has in Costa Rica. Companies like MSD have helped the service sector grow to encompass 45 percent of the country’s total value of exports, a figure we are sure will continue to grow in the coming years,” said director of the Costa Rican Foreign Investment Center, CINDE, Jorge Sequeira.

Medically important vaccines developed at Merck include the first mumps vaccine, the first rubella vaccine, and the first trivalent measles, mumps, rubella (MMR vaccine), each of which was developed by Merck scientist Maurice Hilleman, according to Wikipedia.

The company developed and marketed the controversial arthritis medication, Vioxx, which caused increased cardiac problems in some users, and which caused the company to be sued by thousands of affected patients.

 

MSD operates in more than 140 countries and focuses its research on cancer, metabolic diseases, new animal diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and infectious diseases, including HIV and Ebola. With some 70,000 employees worldwide, its revenue in 2015 was estimated at US$39.498 billion, according to Wikipedia.