Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) 49, Notification of Proposed Production Activity; Merck, Sharp & Dohme LLC; (Drug Products and Intermediates); Rahway, New Jersey

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, grantee of FTZ 49, submitted a notification of proposed production activity to the FTZ Board (the Board) on behalf of Merck, Sharp & Dohme LLC (Merck) for Merck's facilities in Rahway, New Jersey within Subzone 49Y. The notification conforming to the requirements of the Board's regulations (15 CFR 400.22) was received on September 3, 2026.

Pursuant to 15 CFR 400.14(b), FTZ production activity would be limited to the specific foreign-status material(s)/component(s) and specific finished product(s) described in the submitted notification (summarized below) and subsequently authorized by the Board. The benefits that may stem from conducting production activity under FTZ procedures are explained in the background section of the Board's website—accessible via www.trade.gov/​ftz. The proposed finished product(s) and material(s)/component(s) would be added to the production authority that the Board previously approved for the operation, as reflected on the Board's website.

The proposed finished products include: immunological disorder drug product; oncology spray dried intermediate; infectious disease spray dry intermediate; deuterated neurologic disease drug product; metabolic disorders drug product; metabolic disorders spray dry Intermediate; and Neurologic Disease Spray Dry Intermediate which are duty free.

The proposed foreign-status materials/components include: morpholine immunological disorder active pharmaceutical ingredient; monoclonal antibody immunotherapy drug substance; pyrrolidine cardiovascular active pharmaceutical ingredient; imidazole oncology active pharmaceutical ingredient; alkaloid oncology active pharmaceutical ingredient; pyrimidine oncology active pharmaceutical ingredient; pyrimidine cardiovascular active pharmaceutical ingredient; sulfonamide neurologic disease active pharmaceutical ingredient; deuterated neurologic disease active pharmaceutical ingredient; furan infectious disease active pharmaceutical ingredient; ( printed page 60579) oncology active pharmaceutical ingredient; peptide immunological disorder active pharmaceutical ingredient; lactam oncology active pharmaceutical ingredient; indole metabolic disorders active pharmaceutical intermediate; peptide oncology active pharmaceutical ingredient; and pyrimidine metabolic disorders active pharmaceutical intermediate with duty rate ranges from duty-free to 6.5%.

The request indicates that certain materials/components are subject to duties under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 or section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, depending on the country of origin. The applicable section 232 and section 301 decisions require subject merchandise to be admitted to FTZs in privileged foreign status as described in 19 CFR 146.41.

Public comment is invited from interested parties. Submissions shall be addressed to the Board's Executive Secretary and sent to: ftz@trade.gov. The closing period for their receipt is November 3, 2026.

A copy of the notification will be available for public inspection in the “Online FTZ Information System” section of the Board's website.

For further information, contact John Frye at John.Frye@trade.gov.