Built for Breakthroughs

Merck’s state-of-the-art Wilmington facility is bringing the next generation of biopharma manufacturing to Delaware

BY DAVE MARALDO

AS WE MOVE through an era of extraordinary medical breakthroughs, companies and governments must keep pace with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities able to produce science’s next-generation therapies for patients.

Drug development continues to evolve beyond oral, small-molecule medicines and traditional monoclonal antibodies to more complex products like potent antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and other innovations that represent the future of medicine.

Merck’s upcoming biologics center of excellence in Wilmington is a prime example of the investment and pioneering technologies needed to manufacture these products that could revolutionize treatment in areas like oncology and immunology.

The new $1 billion, 470,000-square-foot commercialization and manufacturing facility at Wilmington’s Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park (CRISP) will be a cornerstone of our ongoing U.S. capital investment. It will include laboratory, manufacturing, and warehouse capabilities within Delaware’s hub for life sciences, research and development (R&D), and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

A FLEXIBLE FACILITY READY FOR THE FUTURE

At Merck Wilmington Biotech, we’ll incorporate data-driven processes, digital solutions, and AI, and we expect these advances will help us commercialize biologics faster than ever, bringing them to patients more quickly than we thought possible just a decade ago. With the Wilmington facility’s planned capabilities, we see the potential to adapt and launch our innovative products within months — a remarkable manufacturing breakthrough.

Importantly, the flexible facility will be ready to take on not only ADCs but also other biologic technologies and emerging modalities in an agile way. To support it, we’ll need a skilled, technical workforce comprised of top talent in advanced manufacturing, R&D, quality control, and operations. CRISP’s proximity to prestigious higher education institutions and Delaware’s growing biotech sector makes it a natural home for this new class of products.

The state’s supportive ecosystem offers excellent opportunities for future development, even beyond the 500 full-time jobs Merck Wilmington Biotech is expected to create. CRISP offers a unique combination of strategic location, strong local partnerships, and a supportive state and local government. The project will also support thousands of construction and contract jobs throughout its development phases.

AN EXCITING FUTURE FOR BIOTECH

Cutting-edge sites like Merck Wilmington Biotech are as important as the products they’ll deliver. With this facility, we intend to establish a new U.S. home for manufacturing our cancer treatment, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), the world’s best-selling medicine. We’ll be executing on our supply chain strategy of producing medicines regionally while preparing for our growing biologics portfolio. The site will be built in phases. Its laboratories will come online in 2028, and it will fully support launches from our diverse pipeline by 2030.

Our CRISP facility is just the beginning. With our ongoing investment in Delaware biotech, we are investing in a future supply of lifesaving products while we help establish not just our facility but the entire state as a biologics center of excellence.

We’re proud to support community growth, and prouder still of what an advanced manufacturing site like Merck Wilmington Biotech might achieve for patients. It’s all part of an exciting future for Merck biotech, Delaware, and patients as we work together to streamline our production of medicines and accelerate their delivery for the people who count on us.

Dave Maraldo is the senior vice president of operations for Merck’s Manufacturing Division.