Merck To Buy WuXi Bio-Facility In Dundalk, Ireland For Roughly $500 Million, Due To US BioSecure Act: Reuters

Back in September of 2024, the US passed a package of legislation to increase the security of US patient data and health records, by restricting certain state-affiliated Chinese and other entities from receiving sensitive US governmental biological manufacturing contracts. That pending law is called the US BioSecure Act.

The other shoe has now fallen, on this -- in Ireland -- just a bit south of Belfast, as a Chinese entity called WuXi Biologics must now divest its bio-manufacturing campus to US based Merck, in order for its equity investors to ever see any return on their investments.

[Earlier in November of 2024, Oxford Genetics acquired the UK based business assets of WuXi.] Merck will certainly be able to put this live vaccine facility to good use, and the $500 million price tag for a shiny new plant is. . . bargain basement. So -- good news for US patients, and for Rahway. Here's an earlier (pre-Christmas) bit on it all, from Reuters:

. . .The U.S. House of Representatives had passed a bill in September which would prohibit federal contracts with targeted firms and those that do business with them.

The bills are designed to keep Americans' personal health and genetic information from foreign adversaries and aim to push U.S. pharmaceutical and biotech companies to lessen their reliance on China for everything from drug ingredient manufacturing to early research. . . .

[Separately,] WuXi said it would. . . sell Oxford Genetics, the UK-based operating entity of the WuXi ATU business to Altaris LLC. Altaris declined to comment beyond the given details while WuXi AppTec did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. . . .

Now you know -- as the Giuliani grilling is now underway in Manhattan. More soon!

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