Merck breaks ground on $3B manufacturing center of excellence in Virginia

Pharmaceutical company Merck, headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, has broken ground on a $3 billion, 400,000-square-foot pharma manufacturing facility at its Elkton, Virginia site.

The Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing in Elkton, where Merck has operated for almost 85 years, will include both active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug product investment supporting small molecules.

The Elkton expansion is part of Merck’s more than $70 billion U.S. investment in research, development and capital projects beginning in 2025 to expand domestic manufacturing and strengthen America’s role in biopharmaceutical innovation, according to the announcement. 

These capital expenditures include announced $1 billion manufacturing investments in North Carolina and Delaware, as well as other sites totaling nearly $6 billion, which are projected to create more than 1,600 new jobs nationwide, the company said.

“The company’s efforts across the U.S. will further fortify domestic production and distribution of U.S. medicines and vaccines to protect patients and are forecasted to create more than 48,000 construction-related employment opportunities by 2029,” Merck said.

The Elkton site expansion will enhance the facility’s small molecule manufacturing and testing capabilities and is expected to create more than 500 full-time positions and approximately 8,000 construction jobs, according to the company.

“Merck plans to invest $3 billion in biologics and small molecule manufacturing sites and capabilities in the U.S., which is expected to create more than 800 jobs, while also investing more than $3.5 billion in its Rahway, N.J. headquarters, which is expected to create roughly 1,000 jobs across research and clinical manufacturing,” the announcement said.