Thermo Fisher Scientific, a leading supplier of research equipment, is set to acquire Olink Holding AB, a global biotechnology company specializing in proteomics.

The Bundeskartellamt examined the merger to ensure it does not stifle research in the promising field of proteomics, crucial for developing targeted therapies. The acquisition, costing around 2.8 billion euros, is not expected to result in significant market share additions or anti-competitive effects.

The transaction was subject to review in Germany due to the transaction value threshold under the German Competition Act, allowing scrutiny of mergers with high economic significance despite low turnover.

Olink's Proximity Extension Assay technology enables targeted analysis of up to 5,400 specific target proteins, while Thermo Fisher Scientific's HRAM mass spectrometers can identify up to 20,000 human target proteins, complementing each other for more accurate proteome analysis.

The merger is not expected to strengthen Olink's position in high-plex analyses or Thermo Fisher Scientific's position in HRAM mass spectrometers, as the customer bases have limited overlap and there are sufficient alternative suppliers in the innovative growth markets.