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Merck to Expand US Biopharmaceutical R&D Facility to Advance Innovative 
Clinical Pipeline

- Merck investing $70 million in U.S. Research & Development Hub   
- Expansion of R&D footprint to accelerate science and innovation in Oncology, 
Immuno-oncology and Immunology globally   

Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced a $70 million 
investment to expand its state of the art research and development (R&D) 
facility in Billerica, Massachusetts. The new building will span 145,000 square 
feet, offering new laboratory and collaborative working space to accommodate 
approximately 400 new and current R&D employees focused on advancing science in 
oncology, immuno-oncology and immunology.

"Our talented and passionate R&D teams based in Billerica have been highly 
engaged in advancing a number of pipeline compounds," said Luciano Rossetti, 
Head of Global Research & Development at the Biopharma business of Merck. "We 
continue to strengthen our innovation footprint in both the U.S. and Darmstadt, 
Germany where our global R&D headquarters are located, with the goal of 
delivering transformational value to patients around the world."

With this latest project, Merck will have invested more than $150 million in 
infrastructure to advance biopharmaceutical R&D in the state of Massachusetts 
in recent years, with more than 150 new jobs added to its growing U.S. R&D Hub 
in Billerica since 2011. The town of Billerica played a critical role in 
bringing this latest building expansion project to fruition, working 
collaboratively with Company officials to underscore the benefits of expanding 
the state-of-the-art R&D facility.

"Merck's continued investment in Massachusetts is a testament to the state's 
global leadership in life sciences," said Travis McCready, President and CEO of 
the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. "In working collaboratively with the 
town of Billerica, the company's campus expansion over the past decade has not 
only helped attract and retain top talent in the area, but more importantly, 
contributed to improving the lives of people with serious medical needs."

When construction is completed in 2021, the building will offer wet labs, 
office space and a cafeteria for the campus. Consistent with previous projects, 
the building will be constructed to the highest environmental and employee 
wellness standards by seeking LEED® and WELL certifications. LEED is a 
preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of 
high-performance green buildings. WELL is a building standard focused on 
enhancing people's health and wellness through built environments.

The healthcare business of Merck employs approximately 3,500 R&D professionals 
across four global R&D hubs: Darmstadt, Germany; Boston, U.S.; Tokyo, Japan; 
and Beijing, China. Merck invests approximately 20% of total sales in R&D 
discovery and development each year.

Merck's U.S. presence is comprised of three businesses - Healthcare, Life 
Science and Performance Materials - with nearly 10,000 employees working in 
R&D, manufacturing and corporate roles across almost 60 sites country-wide. 
Within the state of Massachusetts, more than 2,800 professionals work across 10 
locations.

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About Merck  

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, 
life science and performance materials. Around 51,000 employees work to make a 
positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more 
joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies 
and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling 
the intelligence of devices - Merck is everywhere. In 2017, Merck generated 
sales of € 15.3 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to 
Merck's technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived 
since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of 
the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name 
and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the 
business sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma 
in life science, and EMD Performance Materials.

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SOURCE: Merck