25 million euros for biosafety testing and quality control
Merck has opened a new BioReliance® testing center at its factory site on Frankfurter Straße in Darmstadt . The company invested around €25 million in the two-story building, which has approximately 2,000 square meters of floor space. In the future, pharmaceuticals and biological agents will be tested there before being approved for the European market.
Quality and safety for medicines
The new laboratory will conduct tests including quality, safety, sterility, and stability testing. These legally mandated tests serve to ensure the safety of medicines for patients.
During a press tour, laboratory director Dr. Jörn Hoffmeyer explained the work of the testing center. Under strict hygiene regulations, the specialists examine, among other things, active ingredients for cell therapies in cancer research. "We ensure that the medications contain exactly what is stated on the packaging," Hoffmeyer explained.
Commitment to the Darmstadt location
The independent testing center issues certificates of analysis for European pharmaceutical companies. Around 30 people work there – from chemical laboratory technicians and laboratory engineers to PhD chemists. Further hiring is already planned.
With the new building, Merck is further expanding its more than 75 years of BioReliance® expertise in the field of biosafety testing. Hesse's Minister of Science, Timon Gremmels, described the investment at the opening ceremony as a "strong commitment to Hesse as a business location.".
Merck's BioReliance® sites form a global network with additional testing centers in the USA and Scotland. The Darmstadt testing center is scheduled to begin operation in the first quarter of 2027 .
(RED / PM / Merck /Björn Paeschke, Martina Noltemeier)
©Photograph studio Eva Speith, Darmstadt
