United States drugs company Merck said on Wednesday it had been unable to sell its Netherlands-based bioscience research unit Organon, or find an alternative solution to avoid closing down the unit. Merck said in September it had postponed the closure of Organon's R&D activities in the Netherlands while it negotiated potential alternatives, including a sale, as it agreed to a last-ditch bid to save some of the 2,175 jobs at stake.

But on Wednesday it said it had not been able to come up with a feasible business plan for the Dutch-based R&D activities. "This conclusion was taken after Merck concluded that it could not support the potential transaction," Merck said in a statement, adding that talks with various parties had not resulted in a deal suitable to all stakeholders. Merck did not name the parties involved, but media reports have indicated that Aspen Pharmacare, Africa's biggest generic drug maker, Japan's Takeda, and Dutch bioscience firm Pantarhei had bid for parts of the business. MSD-Organon is now looking at whether it can retain any of the R&D jobs within Merck. It said Organon's drugs and biologics business will remain an important part of the company.