Merck Breaks Ground on $3 Billion Virginia Plant, Advancing $70 Billion US Expansion

The expansion could create more than 500 full-time positions, as well as 8,000 construction jobs.

Signage at the Merck & Co. headquarters in Kenilworth, N.J., on Nov. 13, 2021. Andrew Kelly/Reuters

Global pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck, also known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, will begin construction of its new $3 billion, 400,000-square-foot facility at the Elkton, Virginia, site.

In an Oct. 20 announcement, the company noted that the new Center for Excellence in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing is part of its $70 billion investment plan for manufacturing and research within the United States.