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20 Oct 2025

Merck KGaA to Acquire JSR Life Sciences' Chromatography Business with Freshfields' Legal Support

"Global law firm Freshfields is advising Merck KGaA on its acquisition of the chromatography business from JSR Life Sciences, announced on October 15, 2025, and expected to close by mid-2026. This acquisition will enhance Merck's capabilities in biopharmaceutical production, particularly in monoclonal antibodies, strengthening its position in the bioprocessing market. The Freshfields team includes various legal experts from different specialties and locations."

Global law firm Freshfields is advising Merck KGaA on its agreement to acquire the chromatography business of JSR Life Sciences. The transaction, announced on October 15, 2025, involves Merck KGaA acquiring JSR Life Sciences' chromatography business, which supplies chromatography solutions to pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers worldwide. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2026 and aims to enhance Merck's downstream processing portfolio with advanced Protein A chromatography capabilities, thereby strengthening its position in the bioprocessing market. The Freshfields team working on this transaction includes: **Partners:** - Lars Meyer (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt/Berlin) - Rod Carlton (Antitrust, London/Brussels) - Philipp Dohnke (IP/Commercial, Hamburg) - Frédéric Elens (Corporate/M&A, Brussels) - Mena Kaplan (IP/Commercial, New York) - Michael Ramb (Regulatory, Düsseldorf/Berlin) - Satya Staes Polet (Employment Law, Brussels) - Tanja Walter-Yadegardjam (Tax, Frankfurt) **Counsel:** - Zizi Petkova (Real Estate, New York) - Marius Scherb (IP/Commercial, Hamburg) **Principal Associate:** - David Anschütz (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt/San Francisco) **Senior Associates:** - Sebastian Breder (Real Estate, Frankfurt) - Alessandra Galea (Antitrust, London) - Hendrik Menzel (Tax, Frankfurt) - Stephan Reemts (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt) - Katharina Reinhardt (Regulatory, Berlin) - Danny Spencer (IP/Commercial, New York) - Brunhilde Van Den Haute (Employment Law, Brussels) - Lucas Vanassche (Antitrust, Brussels) **Associates:** - Faras Mirhoseiny (Corporate/M&A, Berlin/Frankfurt) - Aurélie Devillers (Commercial) - Leonie Mertens (Employment Law, Brussels) - Jenny Park (Corporate/M&A, New York) - Théodora Milos (Real Estate, Brussels) - Zahar Qasim (IP/Commercial, Hamburg) This comprehensive team is working closely with the Merck legal team, which is led by Abhira Gonge, Champ Charernthamanont, Julia Dolleschel, Vivien Tannoch, and Christoph Engel.
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