Merck Drives New Innovation & Adds Capacity to Advance Next Generation Antibody-drug Conjugate (ADC) Therapies
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.
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"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 (
) 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.
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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
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