Jan 6 (Reuters) - China's WuXi Biologics ( WXIBF ) said

on Monday it will sell its vaccine facility in Ireland to U.S.

drugmaker Merck & Co ( MRK ) for about $500 million.

The Financial Times had reported in October that WuXi and

WuXi AppTec are planning to sell some of their

operations, ahead of looming U.S. legislation that would

restrict their business in the United States.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill called the

Biosecure Act in September that would prohibit federal contracts

with targeted firms and those that do business with them.

The legislation must pass the U.S. Senate before it can be

sent to the president to be signed into law.

The bill is designed to keep Americans' personal health and

genetic information from foreign adversaries and to push local

pharmaceutical and biotech companies to reduce their reliance on

China for everything from drug ingredient manufacturing to early

research.

WuXi AppTec had said in December its units had signed a deal

with U.S.-based private equity firm Altaris LLC for the sale of

its cell and gene therapy manufacturing unit, WuXi Advanced

Therapies, for an undisclosed sum.