What MSD Türkiye does

MSD Türkiye is the Turkish operating subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), legally registered as Merck Sharp Dohme İlaçları Ltd. Şti. and headquartered in the Levent business district of Istanbul. The company markets a portfolio of more than 50 licensed prescription medicines and vaccines spanning oncology (KEYTRUDA, TEMODAL, ONCOTICE), vaccines (GARDASIL 9, HBVAXPRO, MMR-II, PNEUMOVAX 23, PROQUAD, ROTATEQ, VAXNEUVANCE, VAQTA, VARIVAX), HIV (DELSTRIGO, ISENTRESS, PIFELTRO, STOCRIN), diabetes (JANUVIA, Janumet, Xelevia, VELMETIA), anti-infectives (INVANZ, ZERBAXA, TIENAM, NOXAFIL, PREVYMIS), and specialty therapeutics (EMEND, ESMERON, BRIDION, PREGNYL, SINEMET). The affiliate serves healthcare professionals, hospitals, pharmacies, and ultimately patients, and its remit extends beyond Turkey to cover regulatory and clinical research operations for Ukraine, CIS countries, the Middle East, and Egypt.

The commercial model is enterprise field-sales-driven, with a medical representative network reaching HCPs across hospitals, clinics, and physician offices, and products distributed through pharmacy wholesale channels under Turkey's national reimbursement framework. Beyond product sales, MSD Türkiye operates one of the country's largest clinical research programs, running 100+ active studies with 75+ hospitals and 3,200+ enrolled volunteers. The 2022 commitment of approximately 1.5 billion TL supported more than 110 global trials, with clinical research operations growing at 20%+ annually over the past five years. Supporting infrastructure includes the MSD Sizinle physician portal, the MSD Manuals medical reference platform (in publication since 1899), and CSR programs such as MSD Gönüllüyüz and MSD for Mothers.

As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., MSD Türkiye does not independently report revenue. With 501-1,000 employees, 50+ licensed products, and 130+ years of parent-company pharmaceutical innovation heritage, the affiliate functions as a top-tier multinational pharmaceutical operator in Turkey. Recent strategic signals—Sandra Khoury's appointment as Region General Manager in 2024, regulatory scope expansion to Ukraine and CIS, the creation of a Strategy and Business Unit Director role in January 2025, and continued deepening of clinical research partnerships with Hacettepe, Ege, İstanbul Medeniyet, and Ankara Bilkent—indicate sustained operational scaling and regional consolidation around the Turkish entity.

Name

MSD Türkiye

Legal name

Merck Sharp Dohme İlaçları Ltd. Şti.

Website

https://msd.com.tr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

MSD Türkiye, the Turkish subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., markets 50+ prescription medicines and vaccines across oncology, vaccines, HIV, diabetes, and infectious diseases. It runs 100+ clinical trials with 75+ hospitals and serves HCPs, hospitals, and patients through field sales and national reimbursement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prescription Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Vaccine Manufacturing & Contract Services (Veterinary Vaccine CDMO) (HLAMAKAI)

Keywords

• Prescription pharmaceuticals
• Human vaccines
• Oncology therapeutics
• Clinical research services
• HIV antiretrovirals

Headquarters

HQ city

Istanbul

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical and Vaccine Product Sales: MSD Türkiye generates revenue through the sale of prescription medicines and vaccines to healthcare providers, hospitals, and pharmacies across Turkey. The company offers products across therapeutic areas including oncology, vaccines, HIV, cardiovascular, diabetes, immunology, and infectious diseases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MSD Türkiye develops, manufactures and supplies prescription medicines and vaccines for human health across therapeutic areas including oncology, vaccines, HIV, cardiovascular, diabetes, immunology, and infectious diseases. The company also operates clinical research programs in Turkey across more than 100 active trials in partnership with universities and hospitals, supported by digital channels such as the MSD Sizinle physician portal.

Product overview

MSD Türkiye operates as a pharmaceutical company offering a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines and vaccines. The product portfolio includes vaccines (GARDASIL, GARDASIL 9, HBVAXPRO, MMR-II, PNEUMOVAX 23, PROQUAD, ROTATEQ, VAQTA, VARIVAX, VAXNEUVANCE), oncology drugs (KEYTRUDA, TEMODAL, ONCOTICE), HIV medications (DELSTRIGO, ISENTRESS, PIFELTRO, STOCRIN), diabetes treatments (JANUVIA, Janumet, Xelevia, VELMETIA), anti-infectives (INVANZ, ZERBAXA, TIENAM, NOXAFIL), and other specialty medications (PREVYMIS, EMEND, ESMERON, BRIDION, PREGNYL, SINEMET). Beyond pharmaceutical products, MSD Türkiye provides digital platforms including the MSD Sizinle physician portal and clinical research services, supported by CSR programs like MSD Gönüllüyüz.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GARDASIL 9 9-valent HPV vaccine providing protection against nine HPV types, covering additional cancer types compared to the original GARDASIL formulation, for prevention of HPV-related cancers.
• VAXNEUVANCE Pneumococcal 15-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV15) for prevention of pneumococcal disease.
• ROTATEQ Oral rotavirus vaccine for prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis in infants.
• KEYTRUDA Anti-PD-1 therapy (pembrolizumab) 100mg/4ml infusion solution for treatment of various cancers including melanoma, lung cancer, and other malignancies.
• TEMODAL Temozolomide capsules in 5mg, 20mg, 100mg, 140mg, 180mg and 250mg strengths for treatment of glioblastoma multiforme and anaplastic astrocytoma.
• ONCOTICE Intravesical instillation solution containing live attenuated Mycobacterium brumiae (2–8 x 10⁸ CFU) for treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.
• DELSTRIGO Fixed-dose combination antiretroviral tablet containing doravirine 100mg, lamivudine 300mg and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300mg for HIV-1 treatment.
• ISENTRESS Raltegravir 400mg film-coated tablet, an HIV integrase inhibitor for HIV-1 infection treatment.
• JANUVIA Sitagliptin 100mg film-coated tablet, a DPP-4 inhibitor for type 2 diabetes treatment.
• INVANZ Ertapenem 1g IM/IV lyophilized powder, a long-acting carbapenem antibiotic for treatment of intra-abdominal infections, pneumonia, and other bacterial infections.
• ZERBAXA Fixed-dose combination of ceftolozane 1g and tazobactam 0.5g for IV infusion, a cephalosporin-beta-lactamase inhibitor antibiotic for complicated urinary tract and intra-abdominal infections.
• NOXAFIL Posaconazole in oral suspension (40mg/ml), enteric-coated tablets (100mg) and IV infusion concentrate (300mg) for antifungal treatment.
• MSD Sizinle Portal Online physician portal at www.msdsizinle.com providing healthcare professionals with 24/7 access to medical information, product details and MSD resources.
• MSD Manuals Free online medical reference resource (MSD Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy), originally published in 1899, providing comprehensive medical information for healthcare professionals and consumers.
• MSD Türkiye Clinical Research Operations Clinical research operations managing more than 100 active clinical trials across oncology, vaccines, cardio-metabolic, infectious diseases and other therapeutic areas, with partnerships at 75+ hospitals and 3,200+ volunteers in Turkey.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 volunteers access to innovative clinical trials annually in Turkey
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kanser Savaşçıları DerneğiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Volunteer partnership for cancer patients. MSD employees participated in 'Saçım Saçın Olsun' workshop creating wigs and bracelets for cancer patients supported by the association.
• Türk Aile Sağlığı ve Planlama Vakfı (TAPV)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership under MSD for Mothers global giving program supporting approximately 7,000 women and girls affected by the Hatay earthquake through psychosocial support, counseling, and education in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
• Ankara Bilkent Şehir HastanesicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Local Scientific Collaboration Agreement signed in 2022. The hospital achieved 35%+ annual growth in clinical studies conducted. Ankara Bilkent Şehir Hastanesi is Europe's largest and world's 3rd largest hospital with 4,000+ clinical beds and research facilities.
• İstanbul Medeniyet ÜniversitesicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration started in 2021 with priority focus on oncology therapeutic area. MSD's global clinical research executives visited the university to advance the partnership for expanding access to innovative medicines and vaccines.
• Hacettepe ÜniversitesicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018MSD Türkiye and Hacettepe University established a Local Scientific Collaboration Agreement in 2018, upgraded to Global Center Collaboration status in 2022. Hacettepe is among the top 31 centers out of 19,000+ global sites for MSD clinical research. Partnership covers oncology, hematology, infection/vaccines, cardiovascular, immunology, endocrinology, and respiratory areas with 89 clinical phase studies providing access to innovative treatments for hundreds of volunteers.
• Ege ÜniversitesicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018MSD Türkiye partnered with Ege University since 2018 for clinical research collaboration supporting drug and vaccine development in Turkey.
• Araştırmacı İlaç Firmaları Derneği (AIFD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSD Türkiye is a member of AIFD (Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies), representing the company in regulatory and policy discussions in Turkey.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Novartis Türkiye: Novartis Türkiye is a direct multinational pharma peer with overlapping portfolios in oncology, cardiology, and immunology. It competes head-to-head with MSD Türkiye in Turkish hospital and specialty channels and runs comparable clinical research operations.
• AstraZeneca Türkiye: AstraZeneca Türkiye competes with MSD in oncology (Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza), cardiovascular, and respiratory, and runs an extensive local clinical research footprint similar to MSD's 100+ active trials in Turkey.
• AbbVie Türkiye: AbbVie Türkiye is a direct peer in immunology (Humira/Skyrizi/Rinvoq) and oncology (Imbruvica/Venclexta), competing for the same hospital budgets, oncologist relationships, and clinical research slots as MSD Türkiye.
• Sanofi Türkiye: Sanofi Türkiye competes directly with MSD in vaccines, diabetes, and rare diseases, including in pediatric immunization (Hexaxim, Pentaxim) and insulin/GLP-1 categories that overlap with JANUVIA/Janumet. Both operate multinational subsidiary structures with similar GTM models.
• Roche Türkiye: Roche Türkiye is a primary competitor in oncology and infectious disease therapeutics, with comparable scale and presence in Turkish university hospitals and clinical research sites. Both companies leverage strong hospital-channel relationships and a global oncology pipeline.
• Johnson & Johnson Türkiye (Janssen): Janssen Türkiye competes with MSD's immunology and oncology portfolios (including multiple myeloma and hematology) and shares a similar hospital-channel, field-sales-driven go-to-market approach in Turkey.
• Pfizer Türkiye: Pfizer Türkiye is the Turkish subsidiary of Pfizer Inc., directly competing with MSD Türkiye across oncology, vaccines, anti-infectives, and primary care. Both operate field-sales-driven multinational pharma business models with overlapping therapeutic portfolios and similar hospital/channel relationships in Turkey.
• Eli Lilly Türkiye: Eli Lilly Türkiye is a direct competitor in diabetes (Trulicity, Mounjaro, Jardiance) competing against MSD's JANUVIA/Janumet franchise, and increasingly in oncology. Both operate field-sales models targeting endocrinologists and oncologists across Turkey.
• GSK Türkiye: GSK Türkiye is a direct peer in vaccines, HIV, and respiratory, mirroring MSD's portfolio breadth across human health. Both are founding members of AIFD (Turkey's research-based pharma association) and compete across immunization schedules and specialty therapeutics.
• Bayer Türkiye: Bayer Türkiye competes with MSD in cardiology, women's health, and specialty pharmaceuticals, and similarly operates as a multinational subsidiary with hospital-channel sales and clinical research operations in Turkey.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFiruznXF8u7rl2lQ-Kl_eA
• Facebookfacebook.com/MSDTurkiye
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/msd-turkiye
• Instagraminstagram.com/msdturkiye

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MSD Türkiye