(Taiwan) Merck opens Asian Technology and Training Center in Taiwan :: BiotechEast - Taiwan and China biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, ^¤å½s×, ^¤å×§ï ::

(Press release, Merck Group)

29 October, 2008
Merck in Taiwan today announced the opening of its Asian Technology and Training Center (ATTC). The ATTC will provide technical service, application support and a user-training platform for Merck’s customers in the biopharmaceutical industry in the Asian region. Merck is working closely on this project with the Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB) of Taiwan, a non-profit organization supported primarily by the Department of Industrial Technology (DOIT) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). The ATTC will be located in facilities provided by DCB in Xizhi City, Taipei County, Taiwan.

“Providing best in class technical service and advice to our customers and customer proximity are becoming more and more important elements of our business approach. The ATTC is therefore an important milestone in our efforts to build a global network of technology and training centers to offer local regional support for our customers," said Klaus Bischoff, Head of the Performance & Life Science Chemicals division of Merck KGaA.

"The cooperation with the DCB provides an excellent platform and the ATTC will be our gateway to Asian markets. Based on this hub, we'll be able to better serve our biopharmaceutical customers in the region."

Biopharmaceutical drug development and manufacturing requires significant investments in the corresponding processes. A critical success factor for the industry is to increase production efficiency and to establish stable manufacturing processes with stringent quality requirements. An important technology for the manufacture of biological drugs is bioprocess chromatography. Merck's ATTC will support customers in the use of Merck's bioprocessing products in their process development and manufacturing programs. Merck's application experts can closely align with customers development programs. Potential questions and problems can be solved quickly and in a practice-oriented manner. Additionally, ATTC's user training classes will support Merck's customers in manufacturing process development and provide education in bio-processing method development.

"This cooperation is truly a win-win situation for both parties. On the one hand, DCB can offer Merck an excellent, existing infrastructure, and on the other hand, Merck can offer DCB and Taiwan global visibility and regional networks for biotech business", said Dr. Shih Yen-Shiang, Chairman of DCB and Vice Minister of MOEA.

Merck can share with DCB its biotech R&D capabilities and resources from its well-established biopharmaceutical CGMP pilot plant, US FDA compliant, that offers a full spectrum of contract manufacturing and research services ranging from early-stage pre-clinical to phase I/II trials. DCB´s biotech and pharmaceutical R&D team will eexchange technical knowledge and experience with Merck staff. The combination of Merck's ATTC & DCB's BioPharm CGMP plant and bio industry promotion services will create a strong "Asia Bio-process Consulting Center".

"Merck is valued as a leading global supplier of innovative solutions by our customers,” said William Chen, Head of the Performance & Life Science Chemicals division at Merck Group in Taiwan. "By combining both partners’ expertise and capacities, ATTC will increase Merck's and DCB's value to customers and will strengthen their position in the Asian biopharma market."

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