Merck to Open €25M BioReliance Facility in Germany for Biologics Testing

Merck is set to open a new €25M BioReliance® Facility in Darmstadt, Germany, in early 2027. This facility will support biologics developers and manufacturers with local testing capacities, strengthening supply chains and improving access to drug product release testing close to European clinical activities. The facility is part of Merck’s global BioReliance® network and aims to address the growing demand for biologics and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) in Europe, where the biologics market is projected to grow from $487 billion in 2025 to $1.24 trillion in 2035.

The Darmstadt facility will provide end-to-end support for biologics across all stages of development and commercialization. It will offer services such as physicochemical characterization, safety testing, and GMP-compliant lot release and stability testing. Tina Tao, Site Head of BioReliance® Contract Testing Services, emphasizes that the facility will help alleviate the pressures of in-house release testing, enabling customers to focus on developing new medicines.

Located near major European clinical testing sites, the facility will support biopharmaceutical companies working towards market launches. It will also cater to the growing European cell and gene therapy sector, providing release testing for CAR-T cells and other ex vivo gene-modified cell therapy products. The strategic position of the facility in Darmstadt makes it well-suited to support regional manufacturers and meet the stringent expectations of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).