On Tuesday, Merck & Co Inc (MRK  ) opened a new $1 billion, 225,000-square-foot facility for vaccine manufacturing at its Durham, North Carolina, site.

This expansion is a crucial component of the more than $12 billion Merck has invested in the U.S. since 2018. It's focused on expanding domestic manufacturing and research and development capabilities. The company also aims to create new jobs in the U.S., with another $8-billion capital investment by 2028.

During the fourth quarter, Merck reported a decline of 17% in sales of Gardasil to $1.55 billion. Gardasil is a vaccine that prevents cancer from HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S.

The decline is primarily due to lower demand in China, partially offset by higher demand in most international regions, particularly in Japan.

Merck expects fiscal year 2025 sales of $64.1 billion-$65.6 billion versus a consensus of $67.31 billion, including a negative impact of foreign exchange of approximately 2% at mid-January 2025 exchange rates.

The sales range reflects a decision to temporarily pause Gardasil/Gardasil 9 shipments into China beginning February 2025 through at least mid-year.

In February, at a press conference in Washington, D.C., Eli Lilly And Co (LLY  ) announced its plans to bolster its domestic medicine production across therapeutic areas by building four new pharmaceutical manufacturing sites in the U.S.

The company is currently negotiating with several states. The company's previous domestic capital expansion commitments from 2020 to 2024 totaled $23 billion.

In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning letter to Sanofi SA (SNY  ).

After an inspection conducted last year, the agency flagged major concerns about Genzyme's processes for producing active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Price Action: Merck stock is down 1.53% at $93.78 at the last check Tuesday.