Sigma-Aldrich to purchase BioReliance
Broadens biopharmaceutical testing and services offering
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, a US life science and technology company, has agreed to buy BioReliance Holdings from private equity firm Avista Capital Partners for US$350m in cash, extending its reach into biopharmaceutical testing and services.
The transaction is subject to regulatory clearance, and is expected to close in the first quarter.
BioReliance provides biologic, specialised toxicology and animal health testing to pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, diagnostics, and other life science customers worldwide. BioReliance’s service offering helps facilitate biological drug development, manufacturing and commercialisation activities. Its ability to develop and execute global testing protocols in compliance with various regulatory standards enables BioReliance’s clients to register products worldwide.
BioReliance generated revenue of approximately US$110m in the year to 31 December 2010, with double-digit growth expected in 2011. The firm is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland with additional operations in Glasgow and Stirling, Scotland and sales offices in Tokyo and Bangalore. It employs more than 650 people worldwide.
Sigma-Aldrich’s president and ceo Rakesh Sachdev said the addition of BioReliance’s QA/QC testing services will allow the company to ‘support customers’ needs to determine the quality and integrity of biological drugs at every step of the development and manufacturing process’.
