MilliporeSigma Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Mirus Bio, Furthering Ambition to Be a Leading Supplier for Viral Vector Manufacturing
May 22 2024 - 12:35PM
Business Wire
- Mirus Bio’s transfection reagents strengthen
MilliporeSigma’s upstream portfolio
- Acquisition will advance company’s ambition to provide a
fully integrated and comprehensive solution for viral vector
manufacturing
- Reinforces MilliporeSigma’s continued commitment to shaping
the future of gene therapies and other novel modalities
MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced the signing of a
definitive agreement to acquire Mirus Bio for US$ 600 million.
Mirus Bio, part of Gamma Biosciences, is a life science company
based in Madison, Wisconsin, USA that specializes in the
development and commercialization of transfection reagents, such as
TransIT-VirusGEN®. Transfection reagents play a critical role in
the production of viral vector-based gene therapies.
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MilliporeSigma operators monitoring viral
vector production in a bioreactor in MilliporeSigma's Carlsbad,
California manufacturing facility (Photo: Business Wire)
“Viral vector-based cell and gene therapies have demonstrated
their potential with more than 20 approvals over the last 10 years1
and will continue to advance, with a projected growth of 30 percent
until 20282,” said Matthias Heinzel, Member of the Executive Board
and CEO Life Science, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “This
acquisition, combined with our comprehensive portfolio, enables us
to provide a truly differentiated and integrated offering to meet
the growing demand for these life-saving therapies.”
“We have been driving innovation in nucleic acid delivery for
two decades,” said Dale Gordon, CEO of Mirus Bio. “MilliporeSigma’s
broad portfolio, scale, and global reach, combined with our leading
transfection reagents, will help take our business to even greater
heights and allow us to serve more customers, and ultimately
patients, worldwide.”
MilliporeSigma’s Process Solutions business offers one of the
broadest product portfolios in the industry and provides flexible
solutions for viral vector manufacturing to advance cell and gene
therapies from preclinical through commercial production. This
comprehensive portfolio includes cell lines, cell culture media,
processing chemicals and buffers, enzymes, as well as systems,
filters, hardware and consumables to support every step of the
viral vector manufacturing processes. Its expertise and portfolio
covers a variety of viral vector types, including adeno-associated
virus, lentivirus, and adenovirus. Additionally, MilliporeSigma’s
Life Science Services business offers both contract testing
services and a suite of comprehensive CDMO services for viral
vector manufacturing, leveraging three decades of experience
supporting cell and gene therapies to de-risk the path to
commercialization.
This deal is anticipated to close in Q3 of 2024 and is subject
to regulatory clearance and other customary closing conditions.
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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1
https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/cellular-gene-therapy-products/approved-cellular-and-gene-therapy-products
2 EvaluatePharma 2023
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Rachel Bloom Baglin rachel.bloom-baglin@milliporesigma.com
978-436-1725