WALTHAM (AP) -- Scientific instrument maker Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. said Thursday it will pay 330 million euros ($470 million) to acquire Brahms AG, a German company that makes diagnostic tests for sepsis and other illnesses.
Thermo Fisher said the deal will close in September, pending regulatory approvals. Brahms has about 400 employees in 65 countries, and reported sales of around 75 million euros ($105 million) last year. Thermo Fisher said its primary product is Procalcitonin, a biological marker that determines the presence of the blood stream infection sepsis.
Thermo Fisher said there are about 750,000 cases of sepsis in the U.S. every year, and about 250,000 are fatal. Brahms also makes diagnostic tests for heart and lung diseases, and tests used in intensive care treatment and prenatal screening.
Brahms is a privately held company based outside Berlin, in Henningsdorf. After the sale it will become part of the specialty diagnostics business in Thermo Fisher's analytical technologies unit.
The acquisition is expected to boost Thermo Fisher's profit in 2010. The company reported sales of $10.5 billion in 2008.