PR92664

DARMSTADT, Germany, Oct. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

- Merck's unique technology, ChetoSensar(TM), gives new promise to ADCs by

alleviating solubility challenges  

- New DOLCORE(TM) platform increases speed-to-market by up to a year

- Expanded ADC clinical manufacturing facility drives next generation ADCs,

building on company's 15 years of ADC Contract Development Manufacturing

Organization (CDMO) experience

- Reinforces company's ambition to accelerate growth in "Big Three" businesses,

including its Process Solutions' CDMO services for traditional and novel

modalities  

Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced that its Life

Science business sector has launched new technology and expanded capacity to

advance ADC therapies. These initiatives underscore Merck's continued

investment in novel modalities and support the company's efforts to double its

ADC and high-potent active pharmaceutical ingredient (HPAPI) capacity in the

near future.

Photo -

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1671958/Merck_Germany_Next_Gen_ADCs.jpg  

"ADCs have experienced remarkable growth, with commercially approved ADCs

tripling in the past three years," said Andrew Bulpin, head of Process

Solutions, Life Science, at Merck. "We are a pioneer in this space, involved in

50 percent of the commercially approved ADCs on the market today. This latest

innovation and additional capacity help bring novel treatments to cancer

patients around the world and reinforce our commitment to shaping the future of

these novel modalities."

With the launch of its ChetoSensar(TM) technology, Merck is one of the front

runners working to address the hydrophobicity of ADCs, in tandem with its CDMO

services.  Many ADC candidates have poor aqueous solubility and Merck estimates

that more than 20 percent of ADC clinical terminations are caused by this

issue. The company's new ChetoSensar(TM) technology improves ADC solubility,

therefore giving hope to ADCs that were previously terminated.

The payloads commonly used for ADCs are highly-complex molecules that take many

steps to synthesize. Based on Merck's calculations, its new DOLCORE(TM)

platform significantly reduces the development and manufacturing time required,

increasing speed-to-market for a novel Dolostatin-based ADC payload by up to a

year.  

In addition, the company will enhance the ADC capabilities of its clinical

manufacturing facility in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in December. This facility

will provide larger footprint to enable large-scale production including

chromatographic purification for early phase clinical supply. This follows last

year's announcement (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3338190-2&h=3205779722&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.merckgroup.com%2Fen%2Fnews%2Fantibody-drug-conjugate-manufacturing-expansion-09-09-2020.html&a=announcement

) of a EUR59 million expansion of Merck's facility near Madison, Wisconsin,

USA, which will double its HPAPI kilo lab capacity and enable the company to

expedite the manufacture of HPAPIs, ADC linker/payloads, and complex APIs.

This innovation and additional capacity support the company's ambition to

accelerate growth through investments in the "Big Three," including the Process

Solutions business unit within the Life Science business sector as a key

driver.  

With 15 years of experience developing and manufacturing ADCs, Merck offers

unique CDMO services streamlined with a single, highly experienced provider.

The company leverages its global network and deep expertise to tailor each

molecule's unique journey, while creating the dynamic client partnerships drug

manufacturers need to help reach their critical milestones. Merck integrates

contract development and manufacturing with the industry's broadest product

offering across multiple modalities. Customers can also seamlessly integrate

BioReliance(R) services from the company's leading biosafety testing

portfolio.  

Merck recently announced expansion projects in Darmstadt, Germany; Cork,

Ireland; Buchs, Switzerland; Carlsbad, California, USA; Madison, Wisconsin,

USA; Jaffrey, New Hampshire, USA; and Danvers, Massachusetts, USA. These

expansions are part of an ambitious, multi-year program to increase the

industrial capacity and capabilities of the Life Science business sector to

support growing global demand for lifesaving medications and to make

significant contributions to public health.

All Merck news releases are distributed by email at the same time they become

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About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare,

life science and electronics. Around 58,000 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 – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck generated

sales of EUR17.5 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 Electronics.

SOURCE  Merck

Contact: Chantal Gilsdorf, Phone: +49 151 1454 2860