Merck KGaA has signed a definitive agreement to divest its CDMO business within its Life Science business sector to Lonza.
The acquisition includes sites in St. Louis, Missouri (bioconjugates); Madison and Verona, Wisconsin (high-potency payload-linkers); Carlsbad, California (end-to-end viral vector solutions, including aseptic fill-finish); and Indianapolis, Indiana (lipid nanoparticle, liposome and PEGylated protein solutions, including aseptic fill-finish). Approximately 1,100 employees will join Lonza, raising its U.S. workforce to more than 6,000.
The acquired network supports customers from clinical development through commercial manufacturing in areas including antibody-drug conjugates and other bioconjugates, viral vectors for cell and gene therapies, and advanced drug-delivery technologies. The deal more than doubles Lonza's U.S. CDMO footprint from four to nine sites.
Lonza will acquire the business for a mid-triple-digit million-euro amount (approximately $450 million to $670 million). The transaction is expected to close in mid-2027, subject to customary regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.
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