By Mary Prenon
Global pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck, also known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, will begin construction of its new $3 billion, 400,000-square-foot facility at the Elkton, Virginia, site.
In an Oct. 20 announcement, the company noted that the new Center for Excellence in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing is part of its $70 billion investment plan for manufacturing and research within the United States.
“Today is an important milestone for Merck, for Virginia, for manufacturing in the United States and, most importantly, for the patients we serve,” Robert M. Davis, Merck chairman and CEO, said in the statement.
“This investment helps advance our goal of providing new, innovative treatment options for people facing serious health challenges in the U.S. and around the world.”
The company has been part of the Elkton landscape for almost 85 years, and its new state-of-the-art facility will include active pharmaceutical ingredient and drug product investment that supports small molecule manufacturing and testing. The expansion could create more than 500 full-time positions, as well as 8,000 construction jobs.
“Merck’s transformational $3 billion commitment to locate its Center of Excellence marks a giant leap forward for both America’s and Virginia’s life sciences sector,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in the statement.
“It deepens the company’s long-standing commitment to innovation and strengthens the Commonwealth’s position as the emerging national leader in biopharmaceutical advanced manufacturing and life sciences.”
Over the past 130 years, the pharmaceutical giant has been developing and manufacturing medicines and vaccines to treat diseases in both humans and animals. A large percentage of the firm’s work lies in the research and production of oncology medications for bladder, blood, breast, lung, skin, and prostate cancer. The company also specializes in treatments for diabetes, as well as vaccines to prevent disease such as rubella, pneumonia, and hepatitis B.
“Merck’s investment announced today shows exactly what happens when pro-growth policies like H.R. 1 are signed into law,” National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons said in the statement.
“Manufacturers will continue to work with policymakers to advance a comprehensive manufacturing strategy that not only helps manufacturers win—it helps America win.”
So far this year, Merck has committed to $6 billion in manufacturing investments in North Carolina, Delaware, Kansas, and Virginia—all of which are expected to create more than 1,600 new American jobs.
This past March, the company completed construction of a $1 billion, 225,000-square-foot vaccine production facility in Durham, North Carolina.
In April, Merck broke ground on Merck Wilmington Biotech, a $1 billion, 470,000-square-foot biologics center of excellence in Wilmington, Delaware.
In May, Merck Animal Health announced an $893 million expansion of its manufacturing plant in DeSoto, Kansas.
Additional plans include an investment of $3 billion in biologics and small molecule manufacturing sites across the country, and a $3.5 billion upgrade to its Rahway, New Jersey, headquarters.
Merck also announced on Oct. 20 its new long-term data about the sustained survival benefits from KEYTRUDA, which is used in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Its results are based on multi-year exploratory analyses of various versions of the drug.
“These long-term data mark a milestone for patients and their families and build upon the transformative progress we’ve already made in non-small cell lung cancer,” Dr. Marjorie Green, Merck senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development, said in the statement.
“Across the spectrum of earlier to advanced stages of disease, these results support the long-term survival benefit of KEYTRUDA in certain patients with NSCLC.”
