German pharmaceutical and chemicals producer Merck KGaA has expanded capacity at its biotech plant in Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain, by 50% at a cost of €15 million. The facility is located at the company’s main global production site for the active ingredients of its fertility treatment Gonal-f and its growth hormone disorders treatment Saizen.

The investment adds production space and a two-story office building, bringing the total constructed area of the site to 8,000 m2. The facility complies with the cGMP quality standards and is certified by ISO 14001 environmental management and safety by OHSAS 18001. Staff also has been increased by 20% to 170 professional employees.

Demand for Merck’s core portfolio of medicines keeps increasing worldwide, said Simon Sturge, chief operating officer of the company’s biopharma business. Thierry Hulot, head of global manufacturing and supply for the biopharma arm, added that the Tres Cantos facility plays a leading role in the business’s manufacturing network.   

To date during 2016, Merck has invested around 250 million in its global healthcare manufacturing network.