The story
Predecessors and merger
Thermo Electron was co-founded in 1956 by George N. Hatsopoulos and Peter M Nomikos. Hatsopoulos received a PhD from MIT in mechanical engineering and Nomikos was a Harvard Business School graduate. The company focused on providing analytical and laboratory products.
Fisher Scientific was founded in 1902 by Chester G. Fisher from Pittsburgh. It focused on providing laboratory equipment, chemicals, supplies and services used in healthcare, scientific research, safety, and education.
On May 8, 2006, Thermo Electron and Fisher Scientific announced that they would merge in a tax-free, stock-for-stock exchange; the merged company was named Thermo Fisher Scientific, and had about 30,000 employees, and reported US$9 billion in combined revenue. On November 9, 2006, the companies announced that the merger had been completed. However, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that this acquisition was anti-competitive regarding centrifugal evaporators, requiring Fisher to divest Genevac. In April 2007, Genevac was sold to Riverlake Partners LLC and the merger closed with FTC approval.
The company's products are sold under the brand names of Thermo Scientific, Fisher Scientific, and several other recognized brand names (e.g. Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Patheon, PPD, and Nalgene).
Acquisition history
In 1990, Thermo Fisher Scientific (then known as Thermo Instrument Systems) acquired mass spectrometer manufacturer Finnigan Instrument Corporation.
In 2003, the company (then Fisher Scientific International) acquired Perbio Science, a transaction that included brands such as Pierce Biotechnology, HyClone and Endogen.
In April 2006, BioImage was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific. The merger was complete in November 2006, and technology transfer to a US site was completed during 2007 and 2008. BioImage was established in 1993 as a drug discovery research unit led by Ole Thastrup within Novo Nordisk, from which it spun out of in 1999. It had specialized in developing and selling proprietary bioassays to biopharmaceutical companies and research institutions. It made broad patents covering Enhanced GFP (EGFP), GFP-based biosensors and any genetically encoded protein fusion to a luminophore, with subsequent monitoring of the protein's translocation within a cell as the primary readout for drug discovery assays.
In December 2010, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced its acquisition of Dionex for $2.1 billion.
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In May 2011, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. bought Phadia to expand into the testing of allergies and autoimmune diseases for €2.47 billion ($3.5 billion) in cash.
In April 2013, after a competitive bidding with Hoffmann-La Roche, Thermo Fisher acquired Life Technologies Corporation for US$13.6 billion in a deal, adding further service lines related to advanced DNA sequencing and genetic testing. Life Technologies was originally formed in 2008 through a $6.7B merger of Invitrogen, a cell therapy, and Applied Biosystems. The company also acquired GIBCO (Grand Island Biological Company) as part of the Life Technologies acquisition.
In February 2015, the company announced it would acquire Advanced Scientifics for $300 million in a cash-deal. ASI designs manufactures, and delivers technologies used in bioprocessing. In June 2015, the company announced its intention to acquire Alfa Aesar, a global manufacturer of research chemicals for $405 million from Johnson Matthey, and the acquisition was completed at the end of September.
In January 2016, the company announced it would acquire Affymetrix for $1.3 billion. On May 27, 2016, the company announced it would acquire FEI Company for $4.2 billion, a manufacturer of electron microscopes. This acquisition is anticipated to close in early 2017 and will contribute to the growth of Thermo's Analytical Instruments business group. In November the company announced it would acquire MTI-GlobalStem, a previously privately held company that develops reagents for cell transfection, neurobiology and stem cell research.
In February 2017, the company acquired Finesse Solutions, Inc., developer of scalable control automation systems and software for bioproduction after receiving early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. The transaction was completed a day later. In March, the company announced it would acquire Core Informatics, provider of cloud-based platforms supporting scientific data management. In August, the company acquired Patheon, a contract development and manufacturing organization serving the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, for approximately $7.2 billion. As of 2017, the company had revenues of $20.9 billion, and was a Fortune 500 company.
In September 2018, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced it had signed a definitive agreement with Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) to acquire their Advanced Bioprocessing business. This BD business had annualized revenue of approximately $100 million; as of October 16, 2018, it had been integrated into Thermo Fisher's Life Sciences Solutions Segment.
In March 2019, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced its entry into the gene therapy manufacturing market with a $1.7 billion cash acquisition for Brammer Bio. In May 2019, Thermo Fisher Scientific partnered with MMJ International Holdings to manufacture drug products developed by MMJ for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and Huntington's disease. In June, the business announced it would acquire mass spectrometry software provider, HighChem.
In March 2020, Thermo Fisher Scientific received emergency use authorization from the FDA for a test for SARS-CoV-2 to help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Thermo Fisher also partnered with its biopharma customers, including Pfizer and Moderna, to
support the development and production of new mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.
In March 2020, Thermo Fisher Scientific agreed to purchase Qiagen, a molecular diagnostics company, for $10.1 billion. In July, the offer for Qiagen was raised from €39 to €43 per share (€11.3 billion in total). On August 13, the company announced that its offer to acquire all of the ordinary share had lapsed, and it terminated the acquisition agreement.
In August 2020, Thermo Fisher Scientific opened its new Lenexa facility aimed at boosting the production and manufacturing of COVID-19 testing supplies. In December the business announced it would acquire Phitonex, Inc.
In January 2021, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced it had acquired Belgium-based viral vector manufacturer, Henogen SA, from Groupe Novasep SAS for €725 million in cash and point-of-care molecular diagnostics provider Mesa Biotech, Inc. for up to $550 million.
In April 2021, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced the acquisition of PPD, Inc., a contract research organization, for a total cash purchase price of $17.4 billion-plus the assumption of approximately $3.5 billion of net debt. PPD generated $4.7 billion in revenue during FY 2020, and this transaction, which values their company at approximately $20.9 billion. In November, the business announced it would acquire PharmaFluidics and its μPAC range of micro-chip-based chromatography products.
In January 2022, Thermo Fisher Scientific acquired PeproTech, a developer and manufacturer of recombinant proteins, for $1.85 billion. PeproTech became part of Thermo Fisher’s biosciences business and was integrated into the Life Sciences Solutions Segment.
In October 2022, the company agreed to buy British diagnostics firm, The Binding Site Group, in an all-cash deal for US$2.6 billion from Nordic Capital. The acquisition completed in January 2023.
In July 2023, the business announced it would acquire CorEvitas, LLC from Audax Private Equity for more than $900 million in cash. In August 2023, it was announced Thermo Fisher had completed the acquisition for $912.5 million (in cash).
In October 2023, Thermo Fisher Scientific acquired Olink Holding for $3.1 billion.
In February 2025, Thermo Fisher announced the acquisition of Solventum’s purification and filtration business for $4.1 billion.
In July 2025, Thermo Fisher added drug manufacturing capabilities in the United States through its purchase of a sterile fill-finish and packaging plant from Sanofi in Ridgefield, New Jersey.
In October 2025, Thermo Fisher announced a deal to acquire Clario Holdings—an endpoint data management solutions provider—for $8.88 billion in cash from a shareholder group including Novo Holding. The transaction was expected to close mid-2026.
From Wikipedia’s article on Thermo Fisher Scientific, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.8