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.

About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science, and electronics. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene-editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck generated sales of € 17.5 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics.