Madison-based Mirus Bio, a manufacturer of transfection regents used in gene therapies, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by MilliporeSigma for $600 million.
MilliporeSigma is the life sciences business of German company Merck KGaA, which is not affiliated with pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co.
“We have been driving innovation in nucleic acid delivery for two decades,” said Dale Gordon, chief executive officer 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 provides solutions for viral vector manufacturing to advance cell and gene therapies from preclinical through commercial production.
The company’s 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.
MilliporeSigma’s Life Science Services business also offers contract testing services and contract development and manufacturing organization services for viral vector manufacturing.
“Viral vector-based cell and gene therapies have demonstrated their potential with more than 20 approvals over the last 10 years and will continue to advance, with a projected growth of 30% until 20282,” said Matthias Heinzel, CEO of the Life Science business at Merck KGaA. “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.”
The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of this year.
