New Jersey-based Merck & Co., a leading global biopharmaceutical company, plans to invest $2.9 billion to expand its Montgomery County operations by the end of 2030.
Expansion will support the manufacturing of lifesaving products and medicine discovery. The company will spend $550 million of the $2.9 billion in two research and development facilities. ADVANCE, located at the West Point Campus, will focus on robotics and AI-enabled drugs while the nearby Springhouse Innovation Park facility will help the company produce life-saving medicines.
“The ADVANCE facility represents the future of clinical development at Merck and underscores our continued commitment to addressing the needs of the patients we serve,” Rob Davis, Merck chairman and CEO, said. “This builds on our longstanding presence in Pennsylvania where we’re proud to invest in the people, communities and scientific capabilities that will help drive the next generation of medicines.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) submitted a funding proposal for a $5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant for the first West Point projects.
On Wednesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro and DCED Secretary Rick Siger participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the ADVANCE facility.
The West Point campus manufactures more than 200 million doses of vaccines annually.