Serono, third largest biotech company, focuses on the discovery, development and marketing of recombinant proteins and small molecules in the fields of reproductive health for treating infertility, neurology for treating relapse of multiple sclerosis, metabolic endocrinology for treating HIV-associated wasting and growth deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, oncology, gastroenterology and rheumatology. The company has 40 projects in preclinical or clinical development and 16 discovery projects for identifying new drug candidates and its products are sold over in 100 countries. In 2001, the company had a turn-over of US$1.38 B.