Merck Serono to set up new factory in Nantong

Merck Serono plans to inject 650 million yuan ($107 million) to set up a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Nantong, Jiangsu province, to produce medicine to treat diabetes, cardiovascular ailments and thyroid disorders. The new facility will cover an area of 40,000 square meters, with a possible 20,000 sq m extension. The construction of the site is scheduled to start in 2014 before completion in 2016, with commercial production set for 2017. The factory will become the second-largest of Merck's global pharmaceutical manufacturing sites.