Merck Expands Distribution Agreement with Roche

● Merck to be the exclusive supplier of novel enzymes for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR, for all countries except the U.S., Brazil and Japan
● Exclusive global distributor for Roche’s biochemical reagents portfolio since 2015

Darmstadt, Germany, December 1, 2016 – Merck, a leading life science and technology company, today announced an expansion of its distribution alliance with Roche to include the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) enzyme products of Kapa Biosystems, a company acquired by Roche in 2015.

The addition of the Kapa portfolio strengthens Merck’s existing distribution relationship with Roche by providing one of the most complementary suites of high-performance tools for PCR and qPCR available in the industry today.

“The alliance extension with Roche will offer our customers greater access to novel products via our world-class distribution channel,” said Udit Batra, Member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO, Life Science. “These enzymes represent a significant advantage over commercially available DNA polymerases and thus offer the potential for entirely new PCR applications.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Merck will employ its sales, marketing and e-commerce expertise and leverage the strength of its relationships with the scientific community to present and distribute Kapa PCR and quantitative PCR reagents and kits. The distribution agreement includes all geographies except the U.S., Japan and Brazil. Financial details were not disclosed.

Roche inked the global exclusive distribution agreement for its Biochemical Reagents portfolio with Sigma-Aldrich in July 2015. Following the acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich by Merck in the same year, this agreement became an important part of Merck,driving growth in its life science business and offering premier brand tools for genomics, proteomics and cell analysis.

The novel PCR enzymes offered under the expanded distribution agreement have improved tolerance to common PCR inhibitors, increased speed and specific activity,and higher fidelity. These characteristics enable higher quality results and improved workflows.
 
Transition of Kapa’s PCR and qPCR portfolios to Merck is expected to be completed by January 1, 2017. In the interim, these products will continue to be available through existing Kapa channels. For more information,visit www.sigma-aldrich.com/kapa .

About Merck
Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance m aterials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies tha t improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or m ultiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for sm artphones and LCD televisions. In 2015, Merck genera ted sales o f € 12.85 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family rem ains the majority owner o f the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck nam e and brand. The only ex ceptions are the United Sta tes and Canada, where the company opera tes as EMD Serono , MilliporeSigm a and EMD Perform ance Ma terials.