Merck Invests in Expansion of Manufacturing Capacity for Biotech Medicines

- EUR150 million investment over the 2019-2023 period in
manufacturing site at Aubonne, Switzerland

- Expansion supports growth of current and future portfolio of
Merck's biotech medicines for patients around the world

Aubonne, Switzerland (ots/PRNewswire) - Merck, a leading science
and technology company, today announced an investment of EUR150
million (165 million Swiss francs) in its manufacturing site at
Aubonne, Switzerland, to expand manufacturing capacity for its
biotech medicines. The investment will cover a new building dedicated
to Merck biotech medicines destined for more than 150 countries,
helping to meet increasing patient needs for flagship medicines such
as fertility treatment Gonal-f®, newly launched therapies such as
cancer drug Bavencio® and potential future products currently in
clinical development such as cancer investigational treatment M7824
(bintrafusp alfa*).

"This investment reflects our commitment to ensuring that our
medicines always meet the highest quality standards and are readily
available to patients all over the world whenever they need them,"
said Belén Garijo, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO
Healthcare. "It is an expression of our confidence in the future
growth of our Healthcare business sector."

"With this latest investment, Merck is taking one step further
towards a strong positioning of the Canton de Vaud as a Health
Valley, which already includes 360 companies, 400 laboratories and
20,000 jobs," said Philippe Leuba, Vaud State Councillor. "Merck's
presence in the Vaud canton is highly valued and this further
investment will have a lasting and positive impact on the region."

The new building will be equipped with cutting-edge technologies
dedicated to aseptic filling and quality control, with an innovative
design and a flexible operations model to deliver increased
productivity. The new lines for the aseptic filling of biotech
medicines will be equipped with isolator technology, representing
best practice in aseptic filling to ensure the safety of injectable
medicines. One line will be dedicated to freeze-dried formulations,
the other to liquid formulations. These two new lines, as well as the
new quality control labs, will replace existing infrastructure with
technological upgrades and higher capacity allowing to produce up to
27 million vials per year.

The construction of the new building is expected to be completed
in 2020, with the new quality control labs operational in 2021 and
the new lines for aseptic filling in 2023, following validation by
regulatory authorities. Everything will be designed to comply with
the highest international standards of quality, environment, health
and safety.

With the sites of Aubonne and nearby Vevey, Switzerland is Merck's
prime hub for manufacturing biotech medicines. With this latest
expansion, Merck will have invested more than 1 billion Swiss francs
(EUR800 million) in Switzerland over the past ten years, reflecting
the strategic importance of the country, where it employs 2,300
employees across 11 locations. The Aubonne and Vevey sites are part
of a network of 18 manufacturing sites worldwide dedicated to the
production of Merck's biotech and pharmaceutical medicines and
serving 70 million patients across the globe each and every day.

* Bintrafusp alfa is the proposed International Nonproprietary
Name (INN) for the bifunctional immunotherapy M7824. Bintrafusp alfa
is currently under clinical investigation and not approved for any
use anywhere in the world.

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About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across
healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 52,000
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 2018, Merck generated
sales of EUR 14.8 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 Performance Materials.

Your Contact:
friederike.segeberg@merckgroup.com
Phone: +49-6151-72-6328

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ots Originaltext: Merck KGaA
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