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Merck opened a 225,000-square-foot facility dedicated solely to expanding vaccine manufacturing.

The Rahway-based research-intensive biopharmaceutical announced the launch of the $1 billion addition at its Durham, N.C., site March 11.

According to the company, the expansion is a “crucial component” of more than $12 billion in U.S. capital investments made since 2018. Merck says those efforts aim to expand domestic manufacturing as well as research and development capabilities. Additionally, the moves created new jobs.

Merck also said it expects to invest another $8 billion of U.S. capital by 2028.

The expansion at the Durham facility was announced in 2021. At the time, Merck anticipated the completed work would create about 100 local jobs. The new facility is part of the existing Maurice R. Hilleman Center for Vaccine Manufacturing.

In demand

The added space will help expand production capacity for TICE BCG (BCG Live For Intravesical Use), a medicine for the treatment of certain forms of bladder cancer.

Merck said it became the only producer of the BCG for patients in many countries worldwide in 2012. When the Durham project was announced, the company anticipated it would triple manufacturing capacity of TICE BCG when the new space reached full operational capacity.

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made moves to bring an alternative source of the therapy to the U.S. to improve access.

“Expanding our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Durham marks a significant milestone in our efforts to strengthen our production and manufacturing capabilities in the U.S.,” said Sanat Chattopadhyay, executive vice president and president, Merck Manufacturing Division. “The cutting-edge technologies employed here empower our workforce and underscore our leadership in innovation to support patients everywhere.”

The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility leverages best practices and learnings from across the Merck Manufacturing Division network as well as new technical and digital capabilities including:

• Data analytics;
• Generative AI; and
• 3D printing.

It also features a training center equipped with a digital twin – a virtual model of the shop floor manufacturing process systems. Merck says that feature will help accelerate new employee training and simulate process changes before implementation.

Editor’s note: This story was update at 2:56 p.m. to correct a typo that indicated Merck’s new facility represented a $1 million investment instead of $1 billion.