MilliporeSigma invests $76M to expand cancer therapy manufacturing

MilliporeSigma, Merck KGaA’s U.S. and Canada Life Science business, announced a $76 million expansion of its ADC manufacturing capabilities and capacity.

The company is expanding the capacity at its Bioconjugation Center of Excellence facility in St. Louis. This investment triples existing capacity and enhances the company’s contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) offering.

MilliporeSigma said its investment represents a critical step in its ongoing journey to partner with new and existing clients on drug development pipelines. This investment adds more capacity and utilities, enhancing its process and analytical development (PAD) labs. The company said it can provide industry-leading support for early-stage and commercial bioconjugates.

This expansion includes upgrading 34,000 square feet to benefit PAD, quality control, R&D, manufacturing and logistics. It also adds new labs, a dedicated manufacturing buffer preparation facility and a cold storage and GMP-controlled room temperature (CRT) warehouse located close to the existing facility.

“We are shaping tomorrow’s cancer care, today. With this investment, we are not just enhancing our capabilities; we are investing in our clients’ success by accelerating innovation and development to ultimately deliver novel therapies to patients more quickly,” said Benjamin Hein, head of Life Science Services, Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “ADCs represent a transformative approach to oncology, enabling targeted therapies that minimize damage to healthy tissues. As the market for this novel modality grows and the medical community adopts them as first-line treatments, it may mean that fewer patients need invasive treatments like chemotherapy and radiation that cause significant side effects.”