Millipore And Applikon Biotechnology Form Collaboration To Expand Offerings In Fast-Growing Disposable Manufacturing Market
BILLERICA, Mass. and SCHIEDAM, The Netherlands --(Business Wire)-- Millipore Corporation (NYSE:MIL) and Applikon Biotechnology B.V. today announced an agreement to co-develop and distribute disposable bioreactor systems for biopharmaceutical applications. The agreement will build upon the leading positions of Millipore in the disposables market and Applikon in the bioreactor systems market which will facilitate their joint entry into the disposable bioreactor segment of the market.
"Our collaboration with Applikon Biotechnology will close an important gap in our disposable product offering and strengthens our position in upstream process development," said Andrew Bulpin, Vice President of Millipore's Upstream Processing Business Unit. "As our customers seek to improve the efficiency of their operations, they are increasingly turning to single-use, disposables as an alternative to stainless steel and other materials. The combination of Applikon's experience in controllers and bioreactors together with Millipore's global scale and expertise in downstream bioprocessing will enable us to offer one of the industry's most compelling disposable solutions."
Founded in 1973, Applikon Biotechnology designs, manufactures, and sells integrated bioreactor systems and has significant expertise in the upstream bioprocessing market. By combining the experience and reputation of Applikon with Millipore's Mobius® suite of disposable technologies, including filtration products, process containers, mixers, connectors, and valves, the two companies will be able to offer biopharmaceutical customers a fully-integrated disposable solution.
"Applikon and Millipore have a shared vision for the promise of disposable bioreactor systems and we are excited to partner with them to integrate disposable bioreactors across the spectrum of biopharmaceutical companies," said Arthur Oudshoorn, Managing Director of Applikon Biotechnology. "Applikon has a strong portfolio of Measurement & Control instrumentation and is recognized worldwide for its reusable bioreactors. On the other hand Millipore has significant capabilities for disposables and is an established player within the cell culture market. Both companies provide highly complementary capacities. We are therefore very excited about the opportunities that this business relationship offers as it puts us in an excellent position to meet the requirements of this dynamic market."
Millipore's Mobius suite of disposable technologies helps customers eliminate the need for cleaning validation and minimize water usage; reduce energy and labor costs; shorten cycle times between processing runs; and improve the flexibility of their operations. As biopharmaceutical customers become more effective at increasing cell expression and productivity in their upstream operations, disposable technologies are becoming a more viable alternative to classic stainless steel facilities. By reducing the need for large capital plant investments, customers can leverage disposable technologies to reduce their risks and capital requirements.
About Millipore
Millipore (NYSE: MIL) is a Life Science leader providing cutting-edge technologies, tools, and services for bioscience research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. As a strategic partner, we collaborate with customers to confront the world's challenging human health issues. From research to development to production, our scientific expertise and innovative solutions help customers tackle their most complex problems and achieve their goals. Millipore Corporation is an S&P 500 company with more than 6,000 employees in 47 countries worldwide. For more information visit our website: www.millipore.com
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About Applikon Biotechnology B.V.
Applikon Biotechnology B.V. (Schiedam, Netherlands) is a privately owned leading supplier of bioreactor systems for the pharmaceutical and the biotechnological market. We specialize in novel technologies in cultivation systems, measurement and control for the biopharmaceutical industry. In the past years, Applikon Biotechnology has built up a broad portfolio of unique bioprocessing devices for both cell culture and microbial cultivation, and this has considerably set us apart from the competition. We are definitely a step ahead.
Millipore Forward Looking Statement
The matters discussed herein, as well as in future oral and written statements by management of Millipore Corporation that are forward-looking statements, are based on current management expectations that involve substantial risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.
Potential risks and uncertainties that could affect Millipore's future operating results with respect to the foregoing include, without limitation, failure to develop products acceptable to the cell culture market, failure to achieve design wins into our pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers' processes and procedures; delay, suspension or termination of a customer's volume production; lack of availability of raw materials or component products on a timely basis; regulatory delay in the approval of new therapeutics; limitations on cash flow for operations and investment due to increased debt service obligations; the inability to establish and maintain necessary product and process quality levels; the inability to realize the expected benefits of the Applikon co-development and distribution agreement; competitive factors such as alternative disposable systems; the inability to utilize technology in current or planned products due to overriding rights by third parties; conditions in the economy in general and in the bioscience and bioprocess markets in particular; foreign exchange fluctuations; reduced private and government research funding; and exposure to product liability claims. Please refer to our filings with the SEC, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, for more information on these and other risks that could cause actual results to differ.
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