Merck telegraphs closure of Pennsylvania antibiotics plant that employs 300

Some 300 Merck & Co. staffers’ jobs are on the cutting board after the company confirmed plans to shutter its Cherokee manufacturing plant.

Merck aims to mothball production at the facility in Danville, Pennsylvania, sometime in 2024, the company told Fierce Pharma in an emailed statement. The facility manufactures nonsterile imipenem and cilastatin for the antibiotics Primaxin/Tienam and Recarbrio, plus ertapenem sodium for Invanz, a Merck spokesperson said.