Millipore Strengthens Disposable Bioprocessing Solutions with Acquisition of Newport Bio Systems

Millipore Corporation has entered into an agreement to acquire Newport Bio Systems, a provider of process containers used in biopharmaceutical production.

Founded in 1985, Newport Bio Systems was one of the first manufacturers of bioprocess consumable products in the industry and has been a pioneer in designing and manufacturing flexible solutions for leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical customers.

The addition of Newport Bio Systems' single-use process containers, which include bags and liners, to Millipore's Mobius™ disposable solutions will provide Millipore with the industry's broadest range of disposable products.

By manufacturing all of the components of an integrated disposable solution, Millipore will eliminate the need for its customers to validate multiple products from multiple suppliers.

The transaction reflects the Company's strategic focus on increasing its presence in the disposable manufacturing market and builds on its acquisition of NovAseptic completed last year.

The use of disposable solutions allows biopharmaceutical customers to reduce down time in their plants, reduce the amount of facility space needed for biologic production, and eliminate a substantial portion of their cleaning and validation requirements.

Millipore's Mobius solutions include a suite of disposable technologies - filtration products, process containers, connectors and valves - together with design, validation, and support services required to integrate and deliver a complete disposable solution.

"Our goal is to become the leading provider of disposable manufacturing solutions to the biopharmaceutical industry," said Martin Madaus, Chairman & CEO of Millipore. "The addition of Newport Bio Systems will enable us to strengthen the breadth of our offering and bring new capabilities into our Company. We will be the only supplier in the industry that owns all of the major disposable products and has process expertise required to deliver fully assembled and validated solutions.

The adoption rate of disposable technologies from stainless steel components is increasing rapidly, and acquiring the expertise to manufacture process containers will put us in an excellent position to further optimize the production efficiency of our biopharmaceutical customers."

Newport Bio Systems offers a range of disposable process containers, tubing manifolds, and assembly systems for collecting, storing, and transferring process fluids used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Its process containers are available in sizes up to 2,500 liters. Millipore plans to maintain Newport Bio Systems' site in Anderson, California.