Pharmaceutical maker Merck has started construction on a new biologic medicine plant in Delaware, company officials announced.
Merck Wilmington Biotech
The company plans to spend $1 billion on the 470,000-square-foot Merck Wilmington Biotech facility, which will feature manufacturing, laboratory, and warehouse space. Merck officials expect the facility to eventually produce its cancer medicine Keytruda for the U.S. market.
The hub will also enable the development and production of other “next-generation” therapies and biologics.
Producing a Key Cancer Biologic
The Wilmington facility, Reuters reported, would be the first domestic facility to produce Keytruda, which Merck officials have said represents its largest exposure to the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Creating Hundreds of Jobs
The lab at the Delaware plant is expected to be “fully operational” by 2028, and production of “investigational compounds” is scheduled to begin by 2030. Merck expects to create more than 500 jobs in Delaware and about 4,000 jobs during construction.
Further Expansion
Merck also expects to build the facility beyond the initial $1 billion investment to facilitate a growing pipeline of biologics. Further expansion, officials said, could add another 1,500 jobs at Merck and around 26,000 construction jobs.
Image credit: Merck
