The investment represents a critical step in the company’s ongoing growth journey to partner with new and existing clients as they advance their drug development pipelines. With additional capacity and by scaling utilities and enhancing Process and Analytical Development (PAD) labs, Merck will provide industry-leading support for early-stage and commercial bioconjugates. The company’s goal is to ensure clients can bring their innovations to market more effectively and with shorter turnaround times.

“We are shaping tomorrow’s cancer care, today. With this investment, we are not just enhancing our capabilities; we are investing in our client’s success by accelerating innovation and development to ultimately deliver novel therapies to patients more quickly,” said Benjamin Hein, Head of Life Science Services, Life Science business of Merck. “ADCs represent a transformative approach to oncology, enabling targeted therapies that minimize damage to healthy tissues. As the market for this novel modality grows and the medical community adopts them as first-line treatments, it may mean that fewer patients need invasive treatments like chemotherapy and radiation that cause significant side effects.”

The ADC capacity expansion project will:

• Upgrade 3200 m² to benefit the Process and Analytical Development, Quality Control, Research and Development, Manufacturing, and Logistics departments.
• Add new labs, a dedicated manufacturing buffer preparation facility, and a cold storage and a GMP-controlled room temperature (CRT) warehouse that will be located close to the existing facility.

Building on its reputation as the first commercially approved ADC CDMO in North America, Merck's Life Science business has made significant investments to expand its ADC manufacturing capabilities for clients worldwide. In 2022, the company opened its €59 million, 6500 m² facility in Verona, Wisconsin, USA, dedicated to doubling the production of the most highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) used in novel cancer therapies, including ADCs.