New, First-of-its Kind Filters by Merck Provide Twice the Filtration Capacity using Fully Synthetic Materials

• Millistak+® HC Pro eliminates risk of beta glucan interference
• Pre-use flushing requirements for acceptable Total Organic Carbon extractables reduced by 50 percent

Darmstadt, Germany, September 26, 2017 — Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced Millistak+® HC Pro, the first portfolio of high- capacity, fully synthetic depth filters for non-treated Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) harvest clarification and downstream filtration applications. Millistak+® HC Pro filter media provides a cleaner and more consistent depth filtration process compared with traditional diatomaceous earth (DE) and cellulose-based filtration processes.

“Recent advancements in the productivity of upstream cell culture processes require higher filtration capacity than what can be offered by naturally derived filters currently available,” said Andrew Bulpin, Head of the Process Solutions business sector, Life Science, at Merck. “As the first fully synthetic depth filters, the Millistak+® HC Pro portfolio provides as much as twice the filtration capacity versus commercial DE-based benchmarks, and offers customers improved consistency that will help them design a more robust and controlled clarification process.”

Made with purely synthetic materials, Millistak+® HC Pro filters eliminate naturally derived components from the clarification process, offering increased productivity with lower flushing recommendations. As an added benefit, the synthetic media shows higher levels of host cell protein (HCP) clearance compared with traditional depth filters.

Millistak+® HC Pro filters reduce Total Organic Carbon (TOC) extractables and pre-use flush volume recommendations by 50 percent. The synthetic nature of the filter media eliminates beta glucans that interfere with limulus amoebocyte lysate testing for bacterial endotoxins.

Millistak+® HC Pro filters are available in the disposable pod format for ease of use, and exist in three media grades for primary and secondary clarification, as well as downstream filtration applications. The flexible, modular filters offer scalability from the bench to commercial manufacturing scale.

メルクについて
Merck（メルク）はヘルスケア、ライフサイエンス、パフォーマンスマテリアルズの分野における世界有数のサイエンスとテクノロジー企業です。がんや多発性硬化症のためのバイオ医薬品を用いた治療法から、科学研究と生産に関する最先端システム、スマートフォンや液晶テレビ向けの液晶材料にいたるまで、約53,000人の従業員が人々の暮らしをより良くする技術の一層の進歩を目指しています。2017年は66カ国で153億ユーロの売上高を計上しました。

メルクは1668年に創業された世界で最も歴史の長い医薬・化学品会社で、 創業家が今でも、上場企業が率いるメルクグループの株式の過半数を所有しています。メルクの名称およびブランドのグローバルな権利は、メルクが保有しています。唯一の例外は米国とカナダで、両国ではEMDセローノ、ミリポアシグマ、EMDパフォーマンスマテリアルズとして事業を行っています。