300 million euros for research at Merck in Germany

"The pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck is building a research center in Darmstadt. The mRNA technology will be further developed there, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz laid the foundation stone for it.

 

The Darmstadt-based pharmaceutical company Merck is investing in its headquarters in the city and is building a research center, additional laboratories and a center for training and further education. The investment program for this location alone amounts to one and a half billion euros by next year. According to the company, 300 million euros alone will flow into the new research center for mRNA applications, among other things, for which the foundation stone was symbolically laid on Thursday. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) took part in the ceremony. He placed the draft for the new Medicine and Research Act in the time capsule that was buried under the building. A model of an mRNA molecule was also placed in the capsule - as a sign that great hope is being placed on medicines produced using mRNA technology.

 

In three years, 550 employees will start work in the new 18,000 square meter research center, said Belén Gajiro, CEO, at the ceremony. Research is being carried out there on key technologies that form the basis for the development of new drugs that will benefit customers all over the world. This includes processes for the production of antibodies and recombinant proteins.

 

Basis for vaccines

 

These are used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, infections and cancer. Research is also being carried out on viral vectors for vaccines and gene therapy. It is hoped that mRNA technology will lead to a vaccine against cancer. Very intensive research is being carried out on this technology, with 740 clinical studies currently being carried out on it around the world.

 

For Merck, Darmstadt is much more than just the headquarters of a company with locations in 65 countries and 63,000 employees. The city is the home of Merck and the location there is the driving force behind innovation, for example in the development of new drugs.

 

According to Merck, the 71-meter-long, 68-meter-wide and 28-meter-high building for the research center will have almost no carbon dioxide emissions, and plans include a solar system, the use of geothermal energy and heat pumps. The roof will be greened and is intended to improve the microclimate.

 

In view of the investments in Darmstadt, the Chancellor spoke of a commitment to Germany as a strong location for the pharmaceutical industry and research. The new research center shows the importance of the life sciences. If their findings are used to develop medicines, it can help people all over the world. Merck's investments make sense in several ways, not only economically, but also medically and scientifically. Vaccines can be produced with the help of mRNA technology. Merck has already supplied nanoparticles to other companies for this purpose in recent years. If cancer becomes curable in the future, mRNA technology could help.

 

New laws are intended to make things easier for the pharmaceutical industry

 

The life sciences and the pharmaceutical industry, which grew by five percent last year, played an important role for Germany as a location. In Europe, Germany is the country with the highest expenditure on research and development. It must stay that way. In the future, "artificial intelligence" could help to create breakthroughs in the development of medicine.

 

The state supports the scientific work of companies in this country with changes to the law, for example in tax regulations. As an example, the Chancellor cited the new law for medical research recently passed by the cabinet, which grants scientific companies access to health data. The state must provide incentives for pharmaceutical companies and for research and development and support innovations. 

 

Only with inventiveness and the courage to change was the company Merck, founded in 1668, able to grow from a city pharmacy to a leading player in the life sciences." [1]

1.  300 Millionen Euro für die Forschung bei Merck. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (online) Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH. Apr 25, 2024. Von Jan Schiefenhövel