Merck : Invests over € 50 million in Flagship Pharmaceutical Packaging Building in Darmstadt

• Pharmaceutical production site at Darmstadt headquarters strengthened by packaging center of excellence
• Focus on Merck's brands Glucophage, Concor and Euthyrox to meet increasing patient needs in the areas of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and thyroid disorders
• State-of-the-art, high-quality 15,000 square meter packaging building to be constructed by the end of 2017, and operational as of mid-2018

"Sustained growth of healthcare needs in the areas of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and thyroid disorders continues to meet increased patient demand," said Belén Garijo, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO Healthcare, at today's cornerstone-laying ceremony. "We are committed to helping to ensure that our medicines are always available to patients who need them. Therefore, we are investing in our manufacturing and supply network across the world to continuously adapt our footprint and capacity while leveraging new technologies to always better serve patients."
"Darmstadt is our largest site and center of excellence for oral and solid dosage forms and this new packaging building will be the place to implement state-of-the-art smart packaging technology", added Thierry Hulot, Head of Global Manufacturing & Supply at the biopharma business of Merck.

With its state-of-the art, flexible and modern technology, this new center of excellence will enable the packaging of more than 400 million blisters or 150 million packs annually. It will use energy-saving technologies, and forms part of Merck's strategy to sustainably secure its leading position in healthcare manufacturing. It is aligned with other investments across Merck's manufacturing network worldwide and aims to further strengthen the company's manufacturing footprint and upgrade its services for patients. Construction of the state-of-the-art 15,000 square meter packaging building is planned to be completed by the end of 2017 and expected to be operational as of mid-2018. The center will be designed to comply with the highest international GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) quality standards.

The cornerstone-laying ceremony took place on the premises where the future packaging center will be built. It was attended by about one hundred guests representing local and regional authorities, including the Mayor of the City of Darmstadt, a member from the Regional Administrative Council representing the health authorities, as well as business partners and neighbors.

In Darmstadt, Merck is committed to invest around € 1 billion until 2020 and this investment is part of this initiative.