Merck, a German multinational science and technology company and the world’s oldest operating chemical and pharmaceutical company, is expanding its production capacity in the United States with three projects.
In life sciences, Merck opened its second plant in Carlsbad, California, in the United States, significantly increasing its global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) footprint.
The new €100 million, 140,000-square-foot facility will more than double the company’s current capacity to support large-scale commercial and industrial manufacturing of viral gene therapy, in a market expected to grow to $10 billion by 2026.
This is the company’s second facility in Carlsbad, California, to serve cell and gene therapy customers driven by the rapid industry adoption of viral vector-based therapies.
With the acquisition of Exelead and AmpTec, Merck will strengthen its CDMO offering for mRNA.
Exelead specializes in complex injectable formulations, including lipid nanoparticle-based drug delivery technology, which is key in mRNA therapies for use in Covid-19 and many other indications.
AmpTec’s PCR-based technology, combined with its expertise in lipid manufacturing, enables the company to offer customers innovative technologies, products and services to help advance life-enhancing therapies and vaccines for Covid-19.
Merck
In addition, its Life Sciences sector has been awarded a €121 million contract for the construction of a lateral flow membrane production facility over a three-year period at its U.S. site in Sheboygan, Wisconsin (USA).
The contract award by the U.S. Department of Defense, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is part of an effort to secure local supply and production capacity for critical pandemic preparedness products.
Likewise, the company continues to expand its manufacturing footprint with a combined investment of €40 million in its Danvers (Massachusetts) and Jaffrey (New Hampshire), USA production facilities.)
These facilities supply critical products to customers developing life-saving therapies, including Covid-19 vaccines, and provide products and services for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
These expansions will significantly increase capacity and production at these facilities by 2022, respectively, and create nearly 700 new manufacturing jobs.
