DARMSTADT, Germany, March 8 (Reuters) - German drugs and chemicals maker Merck KGaA raised the prospect of an increase of more than 10 percent in adjusted core earnings this year, expecting additional profit from the takeover of lab supplies maker Sigma-Aldrich to offset higher expenses on drug development.
The diversified group, which is the world's largest maker of liquid crystals for flat screens, said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), adjusted for one-offs, to increase in the low double-digit percentage range in 2016.
The $17 billion Sigma-Aldrich deal, wrapped up in November, made Merck's Life Science division the world's second-largest supplier of biotech labs and drug companies after Thermo Fisher .
Merck said it would boost spending on development of new immuno-oncology drugs such as Avelumab by up to 200 million euros ($220.32 million) this year.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Edward Taylor)