Leading science and technology company Merck has updated its Horizon 2020 participation to improve biopharmaceutical downstream processing.

Collaboration outcomes will involve a reduction in the size and number of downstream unit operations, and the elimination of centrifugation to improve efficiency and reduce the need for expensive resin volumes.

Capture via precipitation is also being studied as a replacement for protein A chromatography.

Merck executive board member and CEO of Life Science Udit Batra said: “The biopharmaceutical industry is facing pressure to reduce manufacturing costs and deliver greater efficiencies, all while being environmentally responsible.

“It is important for companies like Merck and our customers to help address industry-wide challenges and accelerate the process of getting drugs to patients in need.

“Through the Horizon 2020 programme, consortium members are already delivering important advances for downstream processing.”

The nextBioPharmDSP project is co-ordinated by Lek Pharmaceuticals, a Sandoz company in Slovenia, with consortium members including Sandoz GmbH and University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Austria); Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany); National Institute of Chemistry (Slovenia); and National Systems srl (Italy).

Merck participates in the consortium through its French subsidiary, Millipore SAS.

Uroš Urleb, global head technical development biosimilars in the Biologics Technical Development and Manufacturing Unit at Novartis, added: “Next generation bioprocessing strategies will improve our industry’s ability to efficiently and cost-effectively supply high quality medicines.

“The consortium is delivering new approaches to the conventional manufacturing workflow and we expect the results of our efforts will help address variations in capacity needs, enable sustained drug supply and offer important environmental benefits.”

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