The acquisition, which has been approved by the Merck and Millipore boards of directors, will create a US$2.9 billion Life Science company. Millipore had sales of US$1.7 billion in 2009, and around 6000 employees in more than 30 countries.
Dr Karl-Ludwig Kley, chairman of the Merck executive board, said: “This is a combination with an excellent strategic fit, which will allow us to cover the entire value chain for our pharma and biopharma customers, offering integrated solutions beyond chemicals.”
Millipore chairman, president and CEO Martin Madaus said: “We are excited to join a high- quality company like Merck as we will gain greater scale and scope in the life science industry.”
Merck plans to retain Millipore’s headquarters in Billerica, Massachusetts.