Five hundred jobs will be coming to Rockingham County after Merck announced a $3 billion expansion to build a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility.
Construction will begin this year for the Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Small Molecule Manufacturing project at its Elkton plant. The new facility will be 400,000 square feet and should be completed by 2029.
“Today is an important milestone for Merck, for Virginia, for manufacturing in the United States and, most importantly, for the patients we serve,” said Robert M. Davis, Merck chairman and chief executive officer. “This investment will help advance our goal of providing new, innovative treatment options for people facing serious health challenges in the U.S. and around the world.”
In 2019, Merck announced plans to invest up to $1 billion to increase production of its Human Papillomavirus vaccine, or HPV. Merck has been part of the Shenandoah Valley for nearly 85 years with its HPV and child vaccine manufacturing facility.
The news comes on the heels of an announcement by AstraZeneca to invest $4.5 billion in a new facility in Albemarle County. The manufacturing facility is expected to bring 600 new jobs to the region.
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The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient, or API, production will bring the majority of Merck’s global small molecule production to Virginia.
“This expansion will create hundreds of good-paying jobs in the Shenandoah Valley and reaffirm Virginia’s leadership in the life sciences sector,” said U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA).
Warner also took the opportunity to praise Merck for its work on life-saving vaccines at the Rockingham County location.
“I’m also glad Merck will continue to produce in Elkton its cancer-preventing vaccine and other childhood vaccines at a time when political attacks and misinformation are undermining trust in medicine and public health – even as vaccines remain one of the most revolutionary, life-saving innovations in history.”
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) also applauded the investment in Elkton, and doubled down on reinforcing the success of vaccines, including Merck’s Gardasil vaccine which has led to the drastic reduction of HPV cancers worldwide.
“As the Trump administration sows doubt about the effectiveness of vaccines, it couldn’t be more important that we recognize and celebrate the impressive progress that Virginians and Merck have shared with the world,” Sen. Kaine said.
Shenandoah Valley leaders are cheering the decision by Merck to invest in the Elkton facility.
“This investment not only strengthens the regional economy through new jobs and capital investment but also positions the Valley at the forefront of a new class of pharmaceutical innovation,” said Jay Langston, Shenandoah Valley Partnership executive director. “We are proud and grateful that Merck is expanding its global footprint right here in the Shenandoah Valley.”
The governor’s office approved two performance-based grants for Merck totaling $9 million.
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Crystal Graham
