WILMINGTON — Charles River Laboratories International Inc. said Thursday that it will acquire a Chicago-based provider of bacterial-detection systems for $212 million in cash.
In a press release, Charles River Labs officials said the deal for Celsis International Ltd. would likely close later this quarter.
In a statement, Charles River Labs CEO James Foster said the deal combines leading providers of endotoxin and bacterial testing and bacterial identification to establish Charles River’s Endotoxin and Microbial Detection unit as a “comprehensive provider of rapid quality-control testing solutions across multiple industries.”
“Celsis’s robust financial profile enhances the EMD business, which is our highest-growth and one of our highest-margin businesses,” he said.
Celsis’ systems are principally used for product-release testing to help ensure the safe manufacture of drugs and consumer products.
Charles River Labs estimates the deal will add 5 cents per share to this year’s earnings and up to 20 cents per share in fiscal 2016.
Charles River Labs is an early-stage contract research company, providing drug-discovery and preclinical-development services worldwide. Based at 251 Ballardvale St., it posted 2014 sales of nearly $1.3 billion.
The company employs about 7,900 people worldwide.
