Repligen beefs up cell therapy business with $1.5 billion deal for BioLife

BioLife shareholders will receive $11.25 in cash and 0.1442 shares of Repligen for each share, valuing the cell therapy tools supplier at $31 per share — a premium of about 6.2% to BioLife's last close.

The boards of both companies have unanimously approved the deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, pending regulatory and shareholder approvals.

The acquisition is expected to increase Repligen's earnings and generate at least $20 million in savings in the first year after closing, by cutting overlapping costs and improving efficiency, the company said.

Larger peer Danaher DHR.N on Tuesday signaled a recovery in demand for bioprocessing products, including equipment and consumables used to manufacture biologic drugs, as biotech and pharmaceutical companies ramp up spending after a slowdown in recent years.

The acquisition comes a month after German drugmaker Merck KGaA's MRCG.DE $11.3 billion deal to buy Bio-Techne, underscoring growing interest in companies making tools for drug development.

BioLife had already been narrowing its focus to cell and gene therapies before the sale. In October 2025, the company sold its evo cold-chain logistics unit for $25.5 million.

July 22 (Reuters) - Repligen Corp RGEN.O said on Wednesday it would buy BioLife Solutions BLFS.O in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $1.5 billion, to expand the drugmaking equipment provider's presence in the fast-growing cell therapy market.