Merck will make an additional investment of $49.3 million to build a robust manufacturing and distribution platform in Asia over a span of two years. The investment follows the science and technology company’s November 2016 announcement of its $98.6 million Life Science investment in Nantong, China.
“In biopharmaceutical research, time is of the essence,” said Udit Batra, member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO, Life Science. “Our investments in the important Asian markets of South Korea, India and China ensure that our customers have ready access to the products needed to develop new therapies and biosimilars that accelerate access to health for people everywhere.”
Songdo, South Korea
The rapidly growing biopharmaceutical industry in South Korea makes the country one of Asia’s key life science hubs. The push for research and for rapid, custom manufacturing capabilities mean a greater need for accessibility to pharmaceutical products and solutions toward the advancement of research and innovation. Merck’s new manufacturing and distribution center, located in the Songdo district of Incheon, will include an infrastructure to facilitate the supply of Merck products to customers in Korea and advanced cell culture media manufacturing capabilities (imMEDIAte Advantage® Custom Media). Occupying a land area of 10,141 square meters, the new site is expected to be fully operational in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Mumbai, India
Merck’s new manufacturing and distribution center, located in Mumbai, is expected to be completed in 2019. Occupying 10 acres, the site is more than 12,000 square meters with added capacity to meet future growth, further improving inventory availability and reducing lead times.
Wuxi, China
China, with a burgeoning biosimilar market, is fast becoming a biotech powerhouse. Single-use technologies provide increased flexibility and efficiency which are critical for biosimilar development and manufacturing. This investment, to accelerate Merck’s Mobius® single-use manufacturing, addresses the growing biopharmaceutical demand in China. The site will be ready in 2018, and is expected to reduce lead time by at least 50 percent.