Merck, the Pharma giant with operations in Lansdale, announced on Tuesday that it will build a $1 billion “biologics center of excellence” in Wilmington, writes John George and Paul Schwedelson for Philadelphia Business Journal.
The new facility, dubbed Merck Wilmington Biotech, will anchor the Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park, a sprawling campus developed by Horsham-based MRA Group. The site will house manufacturing, lab, and warehouse space and serve as the primary U.S. production center for Keytruda. The blockbuster cancer drug generated nearly $30 billion in sales last year.
Merck signed a 20-year lease and plans to begin operations by 2028.
While the spotlight is on Wilmington, the impact extends to the greater region. Merck has invested $3 billion in New Jersey and Pennsylvania since 2017. It plans to spend another $9 billion nationally over the next four years.
“The Merck Wilmington Biotech site represents our continued commitment to growing our investments in U.S. manufacturing,” said Merck CEO Robert Davis.
For MRA Group, the project marks another major milestone. The firm has transformed the former DuPont site into a biotech hub with plans for office space, co-working labs, and a hotel — further reinforcing the region as a rising life sciences corridor.
Read more about Merck’s growing footprint in the Delaware Valley and across the nation in the Philadelphia Business Journal.
