Merck Launches BioContinuum™ Platform for Next-Generation Process Improvements

Merck has launched its new BioContinuum™ Platform to advance biotherapeutic drug manufacturing through improved efficiency, simplified plant operations and greater quality and consistency. The company introduced this expanded offering at the 2018 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists PharmSci360 conference in Washington, D.C., U.S.

“Merck’s new, adaptive platform of products, applications and expertise will allow customers to bring new therapies to patients in need, faster and more cost-effectively than ever before,” said Udit Batra, member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO, Life Science. “Our unique and holistic approach to next-generation bioprocessing allows us to realize the benefits of process intensification throughout the entire process, not gained by focusing on one area at a time.”

Continuous bioprocessing involves integration of what are typically batch-based, separate manufacturing steps into a connected process, enabling continuous flow from the addition of raw materials through product harvest, purification and testing. Pilot studies suggest that conversion to such a manufacturing method may reduce manufacturing costs by up to 50 percent.

“We are advancing this industry by improving process economics without sacrificing titer or product quality while minimizing waste, energy consumption and raw material use,” Batra added.

While continuous processing is the future of drug manufacturing, customers face challenges today in terms of speed-to-market, facility flexibility or cost of goods. A fully connected, fully continuous process is not necessary for customers to see benefits.

The products, documentation and Merck’s vast knowledge base for application and technical support included with the BioContinuum™ Platform, will help to simplify customers’ processes, save time and prevent risk.

The Life Science business sector of Merck also introduced its expanded Pellicon^® Single-Pass Tangential Flow Filtration product, which adds to the purification portfolio of the BioContinuum™ Platform. The application offers intensified purification for more productive, high capacity and cost-effective downstream processes that allow drug manufacturers to meet today’s demands of higher titer and connected or continuous processes.

Merck’s BioContinuum™ Platform represents the evolution in the biopharmaceutical industry, and the company is committed to supporting its customers and the industry throughout the transition.