CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck, a leading science and technology company, today held a ceremony celebrating the topping-out of its Biotech Development Center currently under construction in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. This investment of €250 million, previously announced in January 2020, will help to sustainably secure capacity and high agility to deliver clinical trial material, contribute to accelerated development timelines of new biological entities, and address the increasing manufacturing complexity of the next generations of biotech compounds in a cost-effective way.
“The Biotech Development Center reflects our commitment to speed up the availability of new medicines for patients with unmet medical needs, in particular in the area of cancer,” said Peter Guenter, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO Healthcare. “It also confirms Switzerland’s position as Merck’s prime hub for the development and manufacturing of biotech medicines for patients from all over the world.”
Located near Merck’s current manufacturing site in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland, the Biotech Development Center will bridge together research and manufacturing. The facility will consist of a building providing a total of 15,700 square meters of development space bringing together a cross-functional team of approximately 250 employees spread across different sites today.
Equipped with the most advanced digital solutions and highest technological standards, including continuous manufacturing and laboratory automation, the Biotech Development Center will offer a flexible-by-design infrastructure to readily adapt to emerging needs and technology evolution, as well as open workspaces enabling collaboration, creativity and innovation.
Everything will be designed to comply with the highest international standards of quality, environment, health and safety. Sustainable features in the new building will include an abundance of natural light, high efficiency energy management and recycling systems, as well as an architectural design integrated into the landscape following the contours of the slope and preserving biodiversity with special habitats promoting wildlife and protected flora.
The Biotech Development Center will showcase Merck’s science and technology ambition across its three business sectors, including Life Science’ process solutions for clinical manufacturing and pilot plant operations, as well as Electronics’ eyrise® dynamic liquid crystal windows as part of the highly efficient energy management of the building.
The next key milestones in the construction of the Biotech Development Center will be the finalization of works at the interior of the building and installation of equipment which will then go through qualification. The Biotech Development Center is anticipated to be fully operational in 2023
With the existing sites of Corsier-sur-Vevey and Aubonne and the future Biotech Development Center, Switzerland further confirms its position as Merck’s prime hub for the manufacturing and development of biotech medicines. This latest investment of €250 million reflects the strategic importance of Switzerland for Merck, where it employs more than 2,500 employees across 8 locations.
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About Merck
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck generated sales of € 17.5 billion in 66 countries.
Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics.
