MilliporeSigma to distribute Kapa's enzyme products

MilliporeSigma has expanded its distribution alliance to include the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) enzyme products of Kapa Biosystems, a company acquired by Swiss pharma giant Roche (ROG: SIX) in 2015.

Under the terms of the agreement, MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of Germany’s Merck KGaA (MRK: DE), will employ its sales, marketing and e-commerce expertise and leverage the strength of its relationships with the scientific community to present and distribute Kapa PCR and quantitative PCR reagents and kits. Financial details were not disclosed.

The agreement will strengthen Roche's existing distribution relationship with Merck, and allow customers broad access to these products through its strong distribution channels. The distribution agreement includes all geographies except the USA, Japan and Brazil. It does not include Kapa's Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) products. The NGS portfolio remains a strong complement to the offering of Roche Sequencing Solutions and will continue to be made available through Roche.