Thermo Fisher Scientific will acquire Qiagen, a Dutch diagnostics company, for $11.5 billion, the company said March 3.
The deal is expected to expand Thermo's ability to detect infectious diseases such as the new coronavirus.
Thermo CEO Marc Casper said the deal will help the company broaden its business from scientific discovery to diagnostics.
Qiagen makes life science and molecular diagnostic equipment. The company has more than 5,000 employees and 35 locations in 25 countries. It had a revenue of $1.53 billion last year.
The deal is expected to close in the first half of next year.
Read the full news release here.