Thermo Fisher Scientific acquires Affymetrix for $ 1.3 bn

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, one of the leading global suppliers of lab and analytical equipment & services, on January 8, 2016 signed an agreement to acquire Affymetrix Inc, a leading provider of cellular and genetic analysis products, for approximately $1.3 billion.
 
Affymetrix’s technologies enable parallel and multiplex analysis of biological systems at the cellular, protein and genetic level, facilitating the transition of research tools into clinical and applied markets. The company’s products are used by customers working in life sciences and translational research, molecular diagnostics, reproductive health and agricultural biotechnology. Based in Santa Clara, California, Affymetrix maintains sales and distribution operations primarily in the US, Europe and Asia. The business, which has annual revenues of approximately $350 million, will be integrated into Thermo Fisher’s life sciences solutions segment.
   
“The acquisition of Affymetrix will strengthen our leadership in biosciences and create new market opportunities for us in genetic analysis. In biosciences, the company’s antibody portfolio will significantly expand our offering in the fast-growing flow cytometry market, and customers will have greater access to these products through our global scale and commercial reach. In genetic analysis, Affymetrix’s technologies are highly complementary and present new opportunities for us in targeted clinical and applied markets,” said Marc Casper, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific.
 
Frank Witney, president and chief executive officer of Affymetrix, added, “We will be able to build on our strong history of close collaboration with customers in our target markets by leveraging Thermo Fisher’s deep relationships, particularly in biopharma, as well as their global scale and leading presence in Asia-Pacific. We are excited about the opportunity to combine our portfolios and strengthen our position in high-growth markets such as single-cell biology, reproductive health and AgBio.”
 
Acquisition will significantly expand Thermo Fisher’s antibody portfolio to strengthen its leadership in biosciences. Affymetrix’s eBioscience offering for cellular analysis will enhance Thermo Fisher’s leading biosciences capabilities. Specifically, the company specialises in a range of antibodies, multiplex RNA, and protein and single-cell assays. These technologies serve the fast-growing flow cytometry market segment as well as new high-growth applications including single-cell biology, immunotherapy and infectious disease research.
 
Takeover of Affymetrix adds genetic analysis capabilities serving clinical and applied markets into Thermo Fisher’s fold. Affymetrix adds complementary products in genetic analysis that are used in cytogenetics, genotyping and gene expression. The company’s innovative microarray platform will strengthen Thermo Fisher’s presence in certain clinical and applied markets, including reproductive health and agricultural biotechnology.