Sigma-Aldrich completes takeover of Cell Marque

Sigma-Aldrich has announced the completion of its takeover of California-based life sciences company Cell Marque.

A leading provider of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) antibody reagents and kits, Cell Marque is known for its range of diagnostic reagents widely used in immunohistochemistry (IHC), including validated antibodies and IHC staining kits for pathologists and clinicians focused on patient management.

With its high-quality products and technical expertise, Cell Marque has earned a signficant industry recognition. The purchase is expected to complement Sigma-Aldrich's existing offering of workflow solutions aimed at IVD customers. 

Sigma-Aldrich expects this acquisition – the terms of which were not disclosed – to be neutral to mildly accretive in terms of its earnings per share performance in 2015.

Dr Theresa Creasey, vice-president for diagnostics and testing at Sigma-Aldrich's applied business unit, said: "We welcome the Cell Marque team to Sigma-Aldrich and look forward to leveraging their vast scientific knowledge and expertise to augment our extensive capabilities in this emerging area."

This comes after it was recently announced that Sigma-Aldrich will itself be acquired by the German pharmaceutical and chemicals conglomerate Merck KGaA in a deal worth $17 billion (10.74 billion pounds).