Merck KGaA announced Wednesday that it is acquiring Mirus Bio, a startup that develops transfection reagents for viral cell and gene therapies, for $600 million.
“Combining Mirus Bio’s leading technology with our bioprocessing expertise and portfolio allows us to provide solutions for almost every step of viral vector development and manufacturing,” Merck KGaA board member Matthias Heinzel said in a statement.
Helene von RoederMerck KGaA is sharpening its focus on regional manufacturing, saying in March that it plans to build a biologics facility in South Korea and will continue to invest there. The German drugmaker is also maintaining an emphasis on viral vector technology, CFO Helene von Roeder said during its first-quarter earnings presentation earlier this month, despite a slowdown in its CDMO business.
Merck KGaA bought the Madison, WI-based company from Gamma Biosciences, a “life sciences tools platform” company launched by the investment firm KKR in 2019. The deal is set to close in the third quarter.