Merck Acquires Chromatography Business from JSR Life Sciences
Merck announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire the chromatography business of JSR Life Sciences, a leading provider of CDMO services, preclinical and translational clinical research, and bioprocessing solutions.
With the planned acquisition, Merck intends to expand its downstream processing portfolio with advanced products and technologies in the field of protein A chromatography. The portfolio should help to enable even more efficient and scalable production of biopharmaceutical therapies, including monoclonal antibodies. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2026.
“This acquisition will strengthen our position in the bioprocessing market and underscores our commitment to long-term investment in monoclonal antibody production technologies,” said Sebastián Arana, Head of Process Solutions, Life Science business of Merck. “By combining JSR’s Protein A expertise with our portfolio, we can further enable customers to advance the speed, efficiency, and reliability of antibody therapy production.”
Protein A chromatography is of central importance for the purification of monoclonal antibodies and therapeutic proteins used in the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. The special purification process not only achieves high purity and improved drug safety - it also increases the speed and reliability of production. The technology, therefore, makes a decisive contribution to ensuring that patients have faster access to vital therapies.
JSR Life Sciences' Belgian-based chromatography business employs more than 50 people and supplies chromatography solutions to pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturers worldwide. The company's best-known products include the high-performance protein A resins Amsphere A3 and Amsphere A+. They are characterized by excellent purification performance and process robustness for the production of a broad range of monoclonal antibodies.
"This acquisition positions our innovative Amsphere" Protein A technologies for even greater global impact under Merck's renowned platform—enabling more customers worldwide to accelerate therapies to market with enhanced speed and confidence”, said Tim Lowery, President of JSR Life Sciences.
Merck has a comprehensive portfolio of downstream processing solutions, including industry-leading filtration technologies, chromatography resins, buffers and chemistries, hardware and systems, integrated technologies, and validation services. These resources help the company's customers optimize their development processes faster and with greater safety and reliability.
