Thermo Fisher Scientific said Tuesday it is buying Solventum’s purification and filtration business, confirming an earlier report by The Wall Street Journal. Thermo Fisher said it is paying about $4.1 billion in cash for the business.

Contract drug manufacturer Thermo Fisher Scientific said on Tuesday it will buy Solventum's purification and filtration business for about $4.1 billion.The deal is expected to complement Thermo's bioproduction business,

Waltham-based Thermo is buying the business from Solventum, a Minnesota-based company that spun off from manufacturing conglomerate 3M roughly one year ago.