Merck buys Millipore

DARMSTADT, Germany Merck KGaA plans to buy a Massachusetts life sciences company for $7.2 billion, the German drug maker announced Sunday.

Merck, which is a separate company from U.S.-based Merck & Co., will buy Billerica, Mass.-based Millipore Corp. for $107 per share in a deal approved by the boards of both companies. Merck said the acquisition would create a “world-class partner” for the life sciences sector, allowing it to develop high-margin specialty products.

“This transaction is very attractive to shareholders, customers and employees of both companies,” Merck chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley said in a statement. “This is a combination with an excellent strategic fit, which will allow us to cover the entire value chain for our pharma and biopharma customers, offering integrated solutions beyond chemicals.”