July 22 (Reuters) - Repligen Corp said on Wednesday it would buy BioLife Solutions in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about US$1.5 billion, to expand the drugmaking equipment provider’s presence in the fast-growing cell therapy market. Shares of BioLife rose about 3 per cent in premarket trading. The acquisition gives Repligen access to BioLife’s technology to preserve cells throughout the manufacturing process and the supply chain, as well as its portfolio of cell-processing tools and high-margin consumables business. BioLife’s products are used in about 90 per cent of commercially approved cell therapies, William Blair analyst Matt Larew said. Larger peer Danaher 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 broader slowdown in research spending and customer inventories in recent years. The acquisition comes a month after German drugmaker Merck KGaA’s US$11.3 billion deal to buy Bio-Techne, underscoring growing interest in companies making tools for drug development. BioLife shareholders will receive US$11.25 in cash and 0.1442 shares of Repligen for each share, valuing the cell therapy tools supplier at US$31 per share — a premium of about 6.2 per cent 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 US$20 million in savings in the first year after closing by cutting overlapping costs and improving efficiency, the company said. BioLife had already been narrowing its focus before the sale. In October 2025, the company sold its evo cold-chain logistics unit for US$25.5 million, leaving it more focused on products tied to cell and gene therapy. (Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Sahal Muhammed)
