Tosoh Corp. (Tokyo) has announced it will increase the production capacity of separation and purification media TOYOPEARL and TSKgel PW at its Nanyo Complex (Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture) in response to the growing demand for antibody and oligonucleotide drug purification.
Separation and purification media are key products of Tosoh’s Bioscience Division and are used in the purification process of biopharmaceutical manufacturing as well as other processes. One of the critical applications is the purification of antibody-derived molecules. Besides this still growing market, demand for biopharmaceuticals is expanding to gene therapies, RNA-based vaccines and drugs, and other modalities. The oligonucleotide drug market is growing rapidly, leading to active investment in new development and manufacturing, and Tosoh provides high-resolution resins with superior productivity for such therapeutics. To meet the increased demand for all those different applications, Tosoh will invest approximately ¥16 billion to increase production capacity by approximately 70 % to ensure a stable supply. Commercial operations are expected to launch in March 2025, once constrction is complete in July 2024.
The company continues to invest aggressively not only in separation and purification media but also in pre-packed columns for purification (SkillPak) and continuous chromatography systems (Octave). Tosoh aims to become a total solution provider in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing process.
The expansion plan will allow the company to keep pace with growing demand. Together with the augmentation of its related product lineup, Tosoh will continue to expand its business.