Jose Barella Named Executive Chairman of Merial, Ltd.

Jose Barella Named Executive Chairman of Merial, Ltd.

June 01, 2007

    DULUTH, Ga., June 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The Board of
Directors of Merial Ltd., one of the world's leading animal
health companies, announced that Jose Barella will succeed
Jerry Belle as Executive Chairman of Merial, effective June
1st.
  
    Barella has been serving Merial as Chief Operating
Officer and Head of Business Operations since 2005, during
which time he has managed all commercial activities for
Merial globally, including sales and marketing for both the
Companion Animal and Production Animal businesses, and the
commercial functions that support them. He also heads
global supply chain.

    Barella joined Merial in June 2001 as Head of Companion
Animals franchise.  Later, in 2003, he added responsibility
for Merial's global supply chain.

    Barella, a native of Brazil, has broad international
experience and diverse managerial skills built on more than
20 years in manufacturing, supply chain, marketing and
general management. Before joining Merial, he was the Head
of Aventis Environmental Science (AES), where he managed
the integration of all Rhone-Poulenc and AgroEvo assets to
form AES, part of Aventis CropScience.  Before that, he was
Commercial Manager for Rhone-Poulenc Agriculture, Ltd. for
the UK and Ireland, and Global product manager for a
variety of Rhone-Poulenc agricultural products.

    The appointment comes after an exhaustive executive
search that began last year with Jerry Belle's announced
retirement.  The search included both internal and external
candidates.

    "We are delighted that Jose has agreed to lead
Merial," said Judy Lewent, Merck's chief financial
officer and co-chair of Merial's board of directors.
"Jose's broad involvement in every aspect of the
organization uniquely qualifies him to implement Merial's
board-approved strategy." 

    Olivier Jacquesson, of sanofi-aventis and also co-chair
of the Merial board, said: "This appointment shows
strong support by both shareholders for Merial and is an
endorsement of continuity with the Company's
strategy." 

    The Board expressed its gratitude to Jerry Belle for
his extraordinary leadership. "Jerry leaves Merial in
a very strong position," Jacquesson said, "having
guided the Company during one of its most successful
periods."  Jerry Belle will remain to assist with the
transition for a period of time.

    About Merial

    Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal
health company, providing a comprehensive range of products
to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide
range of animals. Merial employs approximately 5,000 people
and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Its 2006
sales were nearly $2.2 billion. Merial Limited is a joint
venture between Merck & Co., Inc. and sanofi-aventis. 
For more information, please see http://www.merial.com 



    For more information, please contact:

     Steve Dickinson
     Merial, Ltd.
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]