MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business sector of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, closed the transaction to acquire Exelead for approximately $780 million in cash. The business combination is expected to enable the Life Science business to provide comprehensive contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services across the mRNA value chain. The Life Science business plans to further invest over €500 million to scale up Exelead’s technology over the next ten years.
 
Exelead, a biopharmaceutical CDMO, specializes in PEGylated products and complex injectable formulations, including Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) based drug delivery technology, which is key in mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for use in Covid-19 and many other indications. The company has experience in all development phases from preclinical development to commercial contract manufacturing for LNP formulations, including fill and finish. 
 
Over the past two years, the Life Science business sector has made significant investments to advance traditional and novel modalities (mAb, ADC, HP-API, viral vector, and mRNA) through acquisitions and expansions. The acquisition of Exelead is another milestone to accelerate innovation in the company’s Process Solutions and Life Science Services businesses, one of the company’s three growth engines (“Big 3”), through targeted smaller to medium-sized acquisitions with high impact.

“With the addition of Exelead’s leading capabilities and highly experienced team, our Life Science business achieves an important milestone in becoming one of the leading CDMO players in mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, offering an integrated CDMO across the mRNA value chain from pre-clinical to commercial,” said Matthias Heinzel, Member of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and CEO Life Science. “mRNA holds much promise as a treatment well beyond Covid-19 and we will further invest in this technology to help realize its potential.”