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Merck Breaks Ground on $3 Billion Virginia Plant in $70 Billion U.S. Expansion

Construction starts years before targeted manufacturing in 2029, followed by full supply operations in 2030.

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Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin noted that MSD’s $3bn commitment to the state marks a “giant leap forward for Virginia’s life sciences sector”. Image credit: rarrarorro via Shutterstock.com.
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Pictured is a rendering of Merck Wilmington Biotech, a $1 billion, 470,000-square-foot biologics facility that Merck is developing in Wilmington, Del. (Rendering courtesy of Merck)

Overview

  • Merck began building a 400,000-square-foot Center of Excellence in Elkton, Virginia, marking the first major site underway in its domestic expansion.
  • The project is expected to create about 500 full-time jobs once operational and roughly 8,000 construction jobs in Virginia.
  • The facility will produce active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished drug products, adding new small‑molecule manufacturing and testing capacity.
  • Elkton is one of four U.S. projects announced for 2025 within Merck’s $70 billion plan, alongside developments in Delaware, North Carolina and Kansas, with more than 48,000 construction jobs projected by 2029.
  • Company timelines call for most construction to be finished by 2028, manufacturing to start in 2029 and supply operations to begin in 2030, with executives noting engagement with the White House on policy but not crediting proposed tariffs for the decision.