Merck Signs Distribution Agreement with Avanti® Polar Lipids

- Merck to distribute top lipid portfolio outside of United States

- Improves customer access through e-commerce platform

DARMSTADT, Germany, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Avanti^® Polar Lipids to be the exclusive multinational distributor of the USA-based company's research lipids portfolio outside of the United States.

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Under the terms of the agreement, Merck will employ its sales, marketing and e-commerce expertise to distribute Avanti^® Polar Lipids research lipid portfolio. The distribution agreement includes all geographies worldwide except for the United States, where Avanti^® Polar Lipids will continue to reach customers via its own channels. Financial details were not disclosed.

"High-quality lipids are an essential component of precision in the laboratory," said Klaus Bischoff, Head of the Research Solutions business area, Life Science at Merck. "Avanti^® Polar Lipids' research lipids strengthen Merck's overall Life Science portfolio, giving our customers access to a broad portfolio of the highest purity lipids on the market."

Merck offers a complete portfolio of products and solutions that enable scientific discovery, including life science reagents and kits, lab and specialty chemicals and lab separation and workflow tools.

Avanti^® Polar Lipids is a leading manufacturer and supplier of the highest purity lipids for research and pharmaceutical product development. Through this agreement, customers outside of the United States will have enhanced, on-demand access to the Avanti^® research lipid portfolio through the life science business of Merck's robust e-commerce platform, SigmaAldrich.com, regional inventory and company sales representatives. Products will be stocked globally for improved availability to customers.

Transition of approximately 2,000 products from the Avanti^® research lipid portfolio to Merck is expected to be completed in early 2018. In the interim, these products will continue to be available through existing Avanti^® Polar Lipids' channels.

Avanti^® lipidomics products included in this agreement provide a new approach to answer fundamental questions about lipid structure and function and meet the demands of lipid researchers. For more information, visit www.SigmaAldrich.com/Avanti.

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About Merck
Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life ? from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2016, Merck generated sales of ?15 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the "Merck" name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.