Merck Invests Additional €40 Million to Enhance Manufacturing and Distribution in Asia

• Investment supports growing demand for biopharmaceutical manufacturing
• Builds capabilities with two new manufacturing and distribution centres in South Korea and India
• Accelerates Mobius® single-use manufacturing in China for biosimilars development

Darmstadt, Germany, February 21, 2018 — Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced an additional investment of €40 million to build a robust manufacturing and distribution platform in Asia over a span of two years. This investment follows Merck’s November 2016 announcement of its €80 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.”

Manufacturing & Distribution Centre in Songdo, South Korea

The rapidly growing biopharmaceutical industry in South Korea makes the country one of the key Life Science hubs in Asia. 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 centre, 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 Q4 2019.

New Manufacturing & Distribution Centre in Mumbai, India

The new manufacturing and distribution centre, 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.

Mobius® Single-use Manufacturing in 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.

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