MSD launches new manufacturing facilities in Singapore for innovative medicines and vaccines as part of up to US$500 million multiyear investment

• Newly commissioned secondary packaging and sterile filling facility will increase production of immunotherapy for cancer patients in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region.
• New manufacturing capabilities with fully automated and semi-automated packaging lines will significantly increase production of MSD’s cancer immunotherapy and vaccines
• Inhaler production facility when ready in 2026 will manufacture next generation inhaler devices for targeted administration of medicines
• Over 100 jobs requiring advanced manufacturing and digitalization skills will be created over the next few years.
  

MSD (trade name of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA [NYSE: MRK]) announced the opening of a new secondary packaging facility to support the production of vaccines and biologics, including the company’s cancer immunotherapy products. MSD also broke ground for a new inhaler production facility for the manufacture of new generation inhaler medicines in Singapore.

A continued, multiyear investment in Singapore

The new manufacturing facilities are key components of the company’s up to US$500 million investment over five years that started in 2020. This is in addition to the US$2 billion invested since the start of MSD’s manufacturing operations in Singapore in 1997.

Other components of the total investment include new technology to further the company’s environmental sustainability goals, and modernization of MSD’s information technology (IT) infrastructure in support of digitizing the facilities.

The opening of the new secondary packaging facility and ground-breaking for the inhaler production facility located at Tuas, was witnessed by Singapore’s Minister for Trade & Industry, Mr Gan Kim Yong who was the Guest-of-Honour, and Mr Robert Davis, Chief Executive Officer and President of MSD (known as Merck & Co., in the U.S. and Canada), today.

“The talent, research, and technology capabilities that first attracted our company to Singapore has been a key incentive for our continuing investment. We’re delighted to further invest in building technologically advanced facilities and highly skilled manufacturing here,” he added.

The investment is estimated to create over 100 new jobs over the next few years to support the new facility and multi-year investment plan, with many positions requiring advanced manufacturing and digital skills. This would bring the company’s total employees in Singapore to more than 1,800 over the next few years.

Bringing breakthrough pharmaceutical innovations closer to Asia Pacific patients

These new facilities are located within MSD’s existing 72-acre, multi-product manufacturing hub in Tuas.

The secondary packaging facility will house a semi-automated, vial-packaging line to produce KEYTRUDA^® (pembrolizumab), an immunotherapy to treat certain cancers, and three fully automated syringe-packaging lines to produce the company’s GARDASIL^®9 (Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine, Recombinant), an HPV vaccine.

In 2021, the site commenced the sterile filling process of KEYTRUDA^® vials. Secondary packaging, cold storage and a quality control laboratory will be a part of the expanded facility which further adds to the supply chain footprint for this product in Singapore.

The new inhaler medicine facility, when ready in 2026, will manufacture next generation inhaler devices for targeted administration of medicines.

“It further demonstrates our commitment to making a difference by bringing our medicines and vaccines to people as quickly as possible, while ensuring that the Asia Pacific region is well-positioned to manage future healthcare challenges,” he added.

Singapore is home to MSD’s Asia Pacific hub

MSD has unique entities in Singapore that bring together all of MSD’s business divisions, encompassing Manufacturing, Research & Development (R&D), Human Health, Animal Health, one of its IT Hubs, and our Asia Pacific regional headquarters.