Merck & Co. Breaks Ground on $1 Billion Biologics Center in US
Merck & Co. Wilmington Biotech will serve as a launch and commercial production facility and the future US home for Keytruda.
Merck & Co., known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced today the start of construction for a $1 billion (€0.88 billion), 470,000-square-foot biologics center of excellence in Wilmington, Delaware.
The facility will produce next-generation biologics, including antibody-drug conjugates, and will be the future US manufacturing site for Keytruda and other biologics. This investment aims to expand Merck’s pipeline, bring Keytruda production closer to American patients, and support future growth in biologics.
“The Merck Wilmington Biotech site represents our continued commitment to growing our investments in US manufacturing and has the potential to create thousands of high-paying American jobs while ensuring that we can produce and distribute products close to patients right here in the US,” said Robert M. Davis, chairman and chief executive officer, Merck.
Establishing a biologics center of excellence
The new facility, located at Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park (CRISP), will help foster growth in Wilmington’s biotechnology sector, creating more than 500 full-time roles and roughly 4,000 construction jobs. The laboratory component is expected to be fully operational by 2028, with production of investigational compounds anticipated to start by 2030. Potential further expansion of the site would create an additional 1,500 full-time roles and 26,000 construction jobs.
“The decision to build a new biologics facility in Wilmington demonstrates our commitment to advancing US manufacturing and partnering in communities where our employees live and work,” said Sanat Chattopadhyay, Executive Vice President and President, Merck Manufacturing Division. “As a hub for life science, research and development, and pharmaceutical manufacturing, CRISP offers unparalleled opportunities for future expansion.”
A Continuing Commitment to Investing in the US
Since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Merck has invested over $12 billion to expand US manufacturing and research, with another $9 billion planned in the next four years. Recent projects include a $1 billion vaccine facility in Durham, North Carolina, and a planned $3.5 billion investment in US biologics and small-molecule manufacturing.
