Millipore extends chromatography offering; Merck takeover cleared by EU

Millipore is targeting protein manufacturers with a new chromatography resin that, the firm claims, offers flexibility and high throughput with a small manufacturing footprint.

The product, named ProRes-S media, was developed in collaboration with Dow Chemical as a mono-dispersed polymethacrylate strong cation exchange resin designed with the production of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) in mind.

Paul Chapman, VP of downstream processing unit, said: “Combining Millipore's expertise in purification with Dow's extensive experience in ion-exchange resins technology allows us to offer biopharmaceutical manufacturers a substantially expanded chromatography solution."

Millipore also claim the resin offers a broader operating window over a wider range of conductivities than available medias and is optimized for resolving difficult impurities.

Merck takeover approved

In other news, European regulators have approved Merck KGaA's proposed $7.2bn (EUR5.6bn) acquisition of Millipore. The deal, announced in March, is part of the German drugmaker's effort to add bioprocessing and bioscience expertise to its chemical and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production business.