Merck opens new €290m U.S. biosafety testing facility
Merck, the US and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has recently opened its new biosafety testing facility in Rockville, Maryland, U.S. The company invested €290 million ($316 million) into the facility in a move to meet the growing global demand for biosafety testing and analytical development services.
As a fundamental part of drug development and commercialization, biological safety testing is becoming increasingly important as the need for biological products grows. Biological safety testing products and services make sure that biologicals continuously maintain their integrity, ensure compliance with regulatory standards, and safeguard public health. The biological safety testing market size was recently valued at €3.8 billion ($4.1 billion) in 2023 and is expected to reach a market value of €11.6 billion ($12.6 billion) by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 13.6%.
Commenting on the recent opening of its new biosafety testing facility in Maryland, Benjamin Hein, Head of Life Science Services at the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, said in a press statement: “This expansion is the largest investment in contract testing in the company’s history and will allow us to drive automation and technology development in one integrated hub. It reflects our commitment to providing our clients with disruptive platforms that shorten biosafety testing timelines, meet the growing global demand, and ensure the safety of the world’s medicines for patients.”
On 23,000 square-meters, the new biosafety testing facility merges labs that were previously spread across four separate buildings into one, allowing for easier collaboration among scientists and higher automation and digitization. The facility houses services for biosafety testing, analytical development, and cell banking manufacturing. All of this will increase the chances of first-time-right and shorten drug development timelines.
“The new site will feature advanced testing capabilities, including a rapid methods package, designed to accelerate virus testing of bulk harvest material. This package is the first to include the Blazar CHO Animal Origin Free (AOF) panel, a targeted molecular method for detecting virus families. By combining the Blazar CHO AOF panel with assays for mycoplasma, sterility, and retrovirus-like particle detection, test results can be obtained in just 14 days, compared to 35 days with traditional assay methods,” the company wrote in a press release.
