Boehringer Ingelheim to Acquire Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen to Strengthen its Next Generation Cancer Immunology Program
9.12.2020 12:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Boehringer Ingelheim today announced the execution of the agreement on the acquisition of Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen. The acquisition will enable Boehringer Ingelheim to further expand and accelerate its comprehensive program for the development of ATMP-based immuno-oncology therapies including the Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) with modified glycoprotein (GP) platform and cancer vaccines platforms. Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen has outstanding experience in process development, manufacturing and analytical characterization in virology besides expertise in microbiology and cell culture. Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen has already worked in close collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim on viral-based therapy development since 2015.
“The acquisition of Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen is strengthening our promising pipeline with diverse potential first-in-class cancer immunology and cancer cell directed therapies for patients with hard-to-treat cancer,” said Dr. Michel Pairet, member of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Board of Managing Directors with responsibility for the company’s Innovation Unit. “The trusting and highly effective collaboration between our scientists and the Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen team has already contributed significantly to our progress in viral-based cancer therapies. We will welcome the Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen team and look forward to jointly advancing our program in this area.”
Boehringer Ingelheim is taking cancer on by strengthening its position in cancer immunology, with a focus on cancer vaccines, oncolytic viruses, T-cell engagers, stromal modulators and myeloid cell modulators by combining its world-class, in-house research and development with that of highly innovative external companies. The addition of Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen’s site will enable Boehringer Ingelheim to further strengthen its oncolytic virus and cancer vaccine development capabilities and capacities by establishing an end-to-end fully integrated center of excellence for virus development and clinical manufacturing. It will add to a series of strategic acquisitions and collaborations over the past years, including the acquisition of ViraTherapeutics and AMAL Therapeutics, which are contributing assets that will be further developed at Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen’s site.
Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen is a privately-held company founded in 1971. It is headquartered in Ochsenhausen, Germany, close to Boehringer Ingelheim’s Biberach R&D site. As a center of excellence in virology, Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen has a long track record in GLP and GMP certified biosafety testing. In recent years Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen established its GMP-virus manufacturing facility. With around 130 highly qualified and specialized employees, the company has built considerable expertise in process development, manufacturing and analytical characterization of viral therapeutics and oncolytic viral therapeutics. Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen will be integrated with all employees as a new unit into Boehringer Ingelheim’s Development organization and continue to operate at its Ochsenhausen site. A future expansion is planned.
“Following our successful strategic partnership, we are really excited to join forces with Boehringer Ingelheim,” said Dr. Ingrid Rapp, CEO at Labor Dr. Merk & Kollegen. “Boehringer Ingelheim is a truly global pharmaceutical company with excellent R&D capacities. We look forward to taking our next development step in oncology as part of this outstanding team.”
The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. The transaction is subject to the approval of the competition authorities in Germany. Closing will follow thereafter.
Please click on the following link for ‘Notes to Editors’:
http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/agreement-acquire-labor-dr-merk
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201209005383/en/
Contact information
Boehringer Ingelheim
Dr. Reinhard Malin
Head of Communications Innovation Unit
Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Center GmbH
Media + PR
P: +49 6132 77-90815
press@boehringer-ingelheim.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Stabilizing Grids and Cutting Costs in Half: Europe Is Banking on Grid-Relevant Storage Systems3.6.2026 16:50:00 EEST | Press release
The European battery market is scaling up at record speed: According to the latest Solar+ Report from SolarPower Europe, at the end of 2025, the installed storage fleet in the EU had reached a total capacity of 40 gigawatts (GW) and a storage capacity of 77 gigawatt hours (GWh). This is an increase of over 45 percent compared to the previous year. By 2030, the study’s Solar+ scenario forecasts that capacity will quadruple to 171 GW, while storage capacity will increase eightfold to 598 GWh. As growing solar and wind capacities place increasing demands on European grids, storage systems will need to shift electricity over many hours. As a result, the average storage duration will go up from 1.9 to 3.5 hours. This represents a technological leap that underscores the need to establish more grid-relevant storage systems. Taking place in Munich from June 23–25, ees Europe will showcase how the industry is meeting this enormous demand. As Europe’s largest exhibition for batteries and energy
Onimusha: Way of the Sword Set to Release on September 25, 2026!3.6.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Capcom Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:9697) today announced that Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the latest title in the Onimusha series, is scheduled for release on September 25, 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260603903549/en/ Onimusha: Way of the Sword key art Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which marks the first new title in the series in over 20 years, is a Japanese-inspired dark fantasy game that features Miyamoto Musashi as the protagonist and is set in an Edo-era Kyoto that has been twisted by malevolent clouds of Malice. Capcom is developing the title with the aim of appealing to a wide range of players through its exhilarating sword-based action and highly-unique characters. Ahead of launch, the company released a playable demo today*, June 3, 2026, titled Onimusha: Way of the Sword DEMO, to give players an opportunity to enjoy the appeal of the game as early as possible. In this demo, players can experience a varie
2026 World Cup Triggers Corporate Travel Boom in Canada and U.S.3.6.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Navan (NASDAQ: NAVN), the global AI-powered business travel and expense management platform, today released year-over-year data revealing global enterprises are leaning in heavily to the upcoming 2026 World Cup, with hotel and flight bookings for business travel to World Cup host cities up 46% to the U.S. and a massive 295% to Canada. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602020779/en/ Navan data reveals Canadian business bookings have tripled, while U.S. hotel prices spike 30% as global enterprises lock in client entertainment “While headlines right now are focusing on softer-than-expected tourism demand and lagging leisure hotel bookings, our corporate data tells a different story,” said Dane Molter, SVP, Navan Group Travel Marketplace. “Companies are embracing the World Cup as the ultimate can’t miss event, and travel to North America is surging. Businesses know they can’t afford to sit this one out, and they’
Private Markets Firms Face SPV Execution Pressure as LP Demands Rise3.6.2026 15:30:00 EEST | Press release
As private markets firms navigate a more challenging fundraising and exit environment, limited partners (LPs) are demanding greater transparency, stronger governance rights, and more flexible SPV arrangements from fund managers. In fact, 86% of private markets professionals report increased LP requests for tailored SPV structures over the past 12 months, according to a new study by CSC, the leading provider of global business administration and compliance solutions. CSC¹ surveyed 410 senior private markets practitioners across private equity, private credit, real estate, and infrastructure to examine how investor demands are reshaping SPV structures, operating models, and execution requirements. The findings are detailed in CSC’s new report SPV Global Outlook 2026: How LP demands and operational complexity are reshaping the SPV model. The research reveals that enhanced transparency and reporting is now the leading LP demand, cited by 76% of respondents. Stronger governance and approval
New Evidence Offers Hope for Ketogenic Therapy in Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa3.6.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
A pilot study published today in Communications Medicine demonstrates the potential of a new approach to treating anorexia nervosa — a disorder for which effective treatments have been significantly limited. The research from UC San Diego School of Medicine reports that a ketogenic nutritional intervention — a high-fat, low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein diet — was feasible and safe for patients with weight-normalized and mildly underweight anorexia nervosa. The ketogenic intervention was well-tolerated by participants, with high adherence rates and no significant weight loss observed throughout the program. Furthermore, significant improvements were observed in eating disorder symptoms, with nearly 3 in 4 of study completers in the recovered range at study end, no longer meeting criteria for an anorexia nervosa diagnosis, and all completers experiencing an improvement in depression scores. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom