Merck has announced that its Life Science business sector has doubled its high-potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPI) production capacity with the expansion of its facility in Verona, near Madison, Wisconsin, US. This new €59 million, 70,000 square foot facility, officially opened, brings 50 new jobs to the area. 

"There is an increasing demand for HPAPIs due to their effectiveness against cancer at lower doses and the trend towards more targeted therapeutics. Lower doses of these therapies reduce the negative side effects for patients who are taking on this critical fight," said Dirk Lange, head of Life Science Services, Life Science, at Merck. "Increasing capacity at our state-of-the-art CDMO facility in Verona, Wisconsin will allow us to meet the need for these key cancer treatment components."

Merck's Verona, Wisconsin site was the second facility in the world to be SafeBridge-certified and the company continues to meet these rigorous safety and containment requirements necessary to this day.