According to the company, the new, 225,000-square-foot expansion is a "crucial component" of a more than $12 billion infusion toward U.S. capital investments it's made since 2018.

At its sprawling complex in Durham, N.C., Merck has opened a new $1 billion, 225,000-square-foot manufacturing plant slated to produce bulk substance for its megablockbuster HPV vaccine Gardasil.

The drugmaker Merck announced it has opened a $1 billion vaccine manufacturing facility in north Durham, a 225,000-square-foot addition to the company’s existing campus off Old Oxford Road.

Merck said on Tuesday it has opened a $1-billion facility at its North Carolina site, as the drugmaker seeks to boost its U.S. manufacturing in the face of President Donald Trump's tariff threats. Drugmakers have been exploring the possibility of government-granted exemptions for domestically manufactured medicines since Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariff on pharmaceutical imports.