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Merck, in close collaboration with
Lipids are critical to the drug delivery system of mRNA therapies to the body for a vaccine to be effective. Only very few companies in the world are currently able to produce custom lipids in significant quantities and according to the highest quality requirements needed for vaccine production.
'What unites
With the outbreak of the pandemic, Merck and
In the past weeks, Merck has been working hard to expand its already very high lipid production capacity. This required the further development of production technologies and the implementation of new, highly complex process steps.
Merck is a global leader in lipids. The company has extensive expertise in providing custom lipids and other critical components such as synthetic cholesterol for lipid nanoparticle formulations. Merck is active across multiple steps of the process flow and collaborates with many companies using lipid-based technologies to address Covid-19 vaccines and treatment.
Support of more than 50 vaccine projects worldwide
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Merck has been intensely involved in the fight against the coronavirus. The Life Science business sector is supporting more than 50 vaccine projects worldwide with products and technologies. The company's role is comparable to that of a supplier in the automotive sector. Depending on the project, Merck supports the research and development process, for which it offers raw materials and products such as proteases or antibodies. The company also offers a full spectrum of products used throughout the subsequent manufacturing processes for Covid-19 vaccines.
Because vaccine manufacturing is very complex and no standardized processes for innovative vaccines exist, Merck supports its customers in developing customized manufacturing platforms that enable industrial-scale production. Many Merck products are used for this purpose, for example single-use assemblies, systems for biopharmaceutical production and consumables.
Integrated offering across the mRNA value chain
With the acquisition of AmpTec, announced in early January, Merck has further strengthened its capabilities and capacities for the development and production of mRNA. In particular, the combination of AmpTec's PCR-based mRNA technology with Merck's extensive expertise in lipids manufacturing makes it possible to provide a truly integrated offering across the mRNA value chain.
In addition to vaccine development and production, Merck also supports more than 35 Covid-19 testing solutions and is collaborating with many clinical laboratories and diagnostics manufacturers. The company supplies critical raw materials across all key steps involved in diagnosing Covid-19 infections with PCR tests, such as oligonucleotide primers. In addition, it manufactures key products such as Hi-Flow membranes, for serologicals that enable testing for the presence of Covid-19 antibodies.
The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine (BNT162b2), which is based on
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About Merck
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices the company is everywhere. In 2019, Merck generated sales of
Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck's technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are
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