Construction begins on Merck Biotech Development Center in Switzerland

Merck has broken ground on the €250 million Merck Biotech Development Center, a new biotech development facility in Switzerland at Corsier-sur-Vevey.

The new facility will be used for biotech development and manufacturing for clinical studies.

Construction on the biotech development facility is likely to be wrapped up next year with full operations to begin by the end of 2022 after validation by regulatory authorities.

According to Merck, the investment in the new biotech development plant will help the company in supplying clinical trial material in a cost-effective manner besides contributing to accelerated development timelines of new biological entities. It will also address the growing manufacturing complexity of the next generations of biotech compounds, said Merck.

Merck Biotech Development Center in Switzerland. Photo courtesy of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Stefan Oschmann – Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck said: “This investment in the Merck Biotech Development Center reflects our commitment to speed up the availability of new medicines for patients in need, and confirms the importance of Switzerland as our prime hub for the manufacturing of biotech medicines.”

The Merck Biotech Development Center in Corsier-sur-Vevey is located near the company’s current biotech commercial manufacturing site.

Spread over 15,700 square meters, the new biotech development facility will employ nearly 250 people who will be focused on advancing Merck’s biotech R&D pipeline. The role of the employees at the Swiss biotech development center will be to make sure that the company’s next generation of biotech therapies is available for clinical trials.