By Colin Kellaher 



  Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. on Thursday said it agreed to raise its bid for Qiagen NV by about 10.3% to reflect the rising value of the Netherlands-based molecular-diagnostics company amid the coronavirus pandemic. 


  Thermo Fisher said it is now offering 43 euros ($49.07) for each share of Qiagen, up from 39 euros, bringing the value of the deal to about $11.2 billion. 


  The Waltham, Mass., company in March announced an agreement to buy Qiagen for about $10.1 billion to bulk up in the field of infectious-disease testing. The new offer reflects a roughly 35% premium to Qiagen's closing price on March 2, the day before the deal was announced. 


  Thermo Fisher on Thursday said industry dynamics "have changed considerably" since then, as both companies work to help their customers battle the pandemic, and it said the increased bid reflects the fair value of Qiagen's business given the current environment. 


  Analysts had recently speculated that heightened demand for diagnostic tools amid the pandemic could prompt Thermo Fisher to increase its offer. 


  Frankfurt-listed shares of Qiagen were recently up 1%, to 41.38 euros. 


  Write to Colin Kellaher at colin.kellaher@wsj.com 


  Corrections and Amplifications


  This article was corrected at 11:23 a.m. ET because it incorrectly stated that Thermo Fisher's prior offer was 39 million euros for each share. The correct amount is 39 euros.