Investment in China

Merck isn't the first pharmaceutical company to invest in research in China, but it sure is spending a lot more, says ScienceInsider's Hao Xin. The company says it plans to spend about $1.5 billion on R&D in China over the next five years, starting with a staff of 260 in Beijing. Merck already has a commercial headquarters in Shanghai and has built manufacturing facilities in other parts of China, Xin says. The first phase of the Beijing facility is slated to be completed in 2014, and will ultimately house 600 employees doing R&D, translational research, and working on getting regulatory approval for drugs in China and establishing collaborations with other researchers.