NANJING - The world's leading biomedicine company Merck has opened a plant in Nantong, China's eastern Jiangsu province, to produce pharmaceuticals on the country's Essential Drug List.

Merck has invested 170 million euros ($188 million) in the Nantong pharmaceutical plant, which had been under construction since 2013.

"By dedicating the largest manufacturing plant outside Europe to the production of pharmaceuticals to address widespread health care needs in China, Merck is connected to China more than ever," said Mark Horn, managing director of Merck's biopharma business, in China on Friday.

The Nantong plant will reach an annual output of up to 10 billion dosages of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and thyroid disorders by 2021.

The first batch of its pharmaceutical products will enter the market in the second half of 2017.

Merck has announced a further investment of 80 million euros in a life science center near the Nantong plant, which will produce high-purity inorganic salts, cell culture media products and ready-to-use media.