On Apr. 29, 2025, Merck announced the start of construction for a $1 billion, 470,000 square-foot state-of-the-art biologics center of excellence in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Merck Wilmington Biotech facility will comprise laboratory, manufacturing and warehouse capabilities to enable the launch and commercial production of next-generation biologics and therapies including potent antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), reinforcing Merck’s focus on expanding and diversifying its pipeline.

The site will also have the capability to manufacture KEYTRUDA^® (pembrolizumab), and our intent is to establish it as the future U.S. home for producing KEYTRUDA for U.S. patients.

KEYTRUDA is an anti-programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) therapy that works by increasing the ability of the body’s immune system to help detect and fight tumor cells. KEYTRUDA is a humanized monoclonal antibody that blocks the interaction between PD-1 and its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, thereby activating T lymphocytes which may affect both tumor cells and healthy cells.

The new facility, located at Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park (CRISP), will help foster growth in Wilmington’s biotechnology sector, creating more than 500 full-time roles and roughly 4,000 construction jobs. The laboratory component is expected to be fully operational by 2028, with production of investigational compounds anticipated to start by 2030.