MedCity News Thermo Fisher’s $21B deal for PPD gives it missing piece in drug development cycle Thermo Fisher Scientific sells laboratory equipment used in drug research and it also offers manufacturing services for experimental and commercialized drugs. By acquiring PPD, Thermo Fisher says it will gain capabilities in the growing global market of clinical trial services. Shares0
Thermo Fisher Scientific sells the laboratory equipment that biopharmaceutical companies use in the research and development of new drugs. Its $20.9 billion acquisition of PPD will give the company the global infrastructure to run the clinical trials that test them. Waltham, Massachusetts-based Thermo Fisher announced Thursday that it has agreed to pay $17.4 billion cash for PPD, breaking down to $47.50 for each share of the company. That price represents a premium of about 24% to PPD’s closing stock price on Tuesday, before news surfaced about a potential deal. Shares of PPD, a pharmaceutical services business headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, closed at $43 per share on Wednesday. Thermo Fisher will also assume PPD’s $3.5 billion net debt.