BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced that the company’s Life Science business has closed the transaction to acquire Mirus Bio for approximately US$ 600 million (around € 550 million), following regulatory clearances and the fulfillment of other customary closing conditions. The acquisition is a strategic step towards the company’s ambition to offer solutions for every step of viral vector manufacturing. It also reinforces the company’s commitment to supporting customers in advancing cell and gene therapies from preclinical through commercial production. The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany acquired Mirus Bio from Gamma Biosciences, a life sciences platform established by global investment firm KKR.
"Novel modalities like cell and gene therapies offer tremendous potential for bringing new curative treatments to patients,” said Sebastian Arana, Head of Process Solutions, Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “Mirus Bio’s advanced technology, combined with our bioprocessing expertise and broad portfolio, will enable us to deliver integrated solutions across the viral vector value chain and help meet the growing demand for these life-saving therapies.”
Mirus Bio specializes in the development and commercialization of transfection reagents, such as TransIT-VirusGEN®. These reagents play a critical role in the production of viral vector-based gene therapies. The addition of Mirus Bio’s leading transfection reagents strengthens MilliporeSigma's upstream portfolio and allows for an integrated viral vector manufacturing offering.
Mirus Bio’s leading transfection reagents further strengthen MilliporeSigma’s existing portfolio. The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany provides solutions for every step of the viral vector manufacturing process to advance cell and gene therapies from preclinical through commercial production. Its portfolio is one of the broadest in the industry and includes cell lines, cell culture media, process materials like chemicals, buffers and enzymes, as well as systems, filters, hardware and consumables. MilliporeSigma’s expertise covers a variety of viral vector types, including adeno-associated virus, lentivirus, and adenovirus. Additionally, the company offers contract testing and comprehensive CDMO services for viral vector manufacturing, leveraging three decades of experience supporting cell and gene therapies.
About the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has more than 28,000 employees and more than 55 total manufacturing and testing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing and testing services. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics.
Around 63,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2023, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 21 billion in 65 countries.
The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare and EMD Electronics in electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. For more information about Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, visit www.emdgroup.com.
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