RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck & Co. has announced plans to invest approximately $100 million to expand its vaccine manufacturing facility in Durham, N.C., pending approval by county commissioners, according to Gov. Mike Easley's office.
Merck's 115,000-square-foot expansion, which will create about 50 to 60 jobs, includes a sterile processing facility, testing labs and packaging areas, the governor's office said.
Merck, headquartered in Whitehouse Station, N.J., began construction on the facility in 2004, and it is expected to be completed in 2007.
The expansion project, contingent on a grant being considered by the Durham County Commission, would start next year, with completion planned by 2010.
Before the expansion, Merck planned to employ as many as 200 workers at the 232,000-square-foot plant.
