Date set for Merck's Sigma-Aldrich acquisition

Merck is set to complete its US$17 billion acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich, having this week received final approval from the European Commission (EC).

The closing of the deal has been a long time coming, with Merck having initially announced its intention to purchase Sigma-Aldrich on 22 September 2014. The EC provided conditional approval of the acquisition on 15 June, subject to approval of the divestment of certain Sigma-Aldrich assets. On 20 October, Sigma-Aldrich announced an agreement to sell parts of its solvents and inorganics business to Honeywell.

The EC has now approved Honeywell as a suitable buyer of the divestment business, meaning all closing requirements have been met. The formal completion of the Sigma-Aldrich acquisition will take place on 18 November, with the delisting of Sigma-Aldrich’s stock from NASDAQ taking effect following completion.

“We’ve reached the home stretch and are set to complete the largest acquisition in our almost 350-year history,” said Merck CEO and Chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley. “With this acquisition, Merck will become a leading player in the $130 billion life science industry, with almost 20,000 people, 300,000 products and thousands of patents coming together to help our customers tackle the toughest problems in life science with innovative solutions.”

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