Overview
Frankfurt, 12 January 2021 – McDermott Will & Emery advised Merck (Merck) on the acquisition of AmpTec GmbH (AmpTec), a leading contract development and manufacturing organization of mRNA. The parties agreed that further details of the transaction shall remain confidential.
An mRNA, a so-called “messenger RNA”, is a single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) which, as a transcript of a section of DNA belonging to a gene, contains the genetic information for the construction of a protein in a cell. The acquisition strengthens Merck’s capabilities to develop and manufacture mRNA for its customers (inter alia over 50 vaccine manufacturers) for the potential use in vaccines, treatments and diagnostics applicable for Covid-19 and many other diseases.
AmpTec GmbH, founded in 2005 and based in Hamburg, Germany, is an internationally active contract development and manufacturing company with comprehensive services for the manufacturing of synthetic nucleic acids for biotech and pharma companies. The company produces synthetic fully functional mRNAs as drug substances or active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for the pharmaceutical industry using mRNAs to develop a new category of medicines.
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. With about 58,000 employees, it generated sales of EUR 16.2 billion in 66 countries in 2019.
Counsel to Merck:
McDermott Will & Emery, Frankfurt: The McDermott team advising Merck was led by Frankfurt corporate partner Florian Lechner and included Jana Grieb (Counsel, Regulatory), Steffen Woitz (Partner, IP), Dr. Thomas Gennert (Partner, Employment) and Marcus Fischer (Counsel, Tax).
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