Germany's Merck KGaA today announced the completion of its $17 billion acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich, following approval from the European Commission.

The deal creates a science sector giant that will "cover every step of the biotech production chain," Merck said in a statement. The company will have around 50,000 employees in 67 countries, working at 72 manufacturing sites worldwide, with combined pro forma full-year life science sales of €4.6 billion in 2014 and expected sales between €12.6 billion and €12.8 billion in 2015.

Merck plans to integrate Sigma-Aldrich with its EMD Millipore business (known as Merck Millipore outside the US and Canada), which it acquired in 2010, to create a new business known as MilliporeSigma in the US and Canada.

"This is a significant milestone in our long-term strategy to invest in life science," Bernd Reckmann, member of the Executive Board in charge of Life Science and Performance Materials businesses, said in a statement. "The acquisition of Millipore in 2010 was the first major step in that journey and with the completion of the Sigma-Aldrich acquisition, we will take a quantum leap toward securing our competitive position in that space."