Asahi Kasei Medical Co., Ltd.
September 20, 2019

Bioprocess

Asahi Kasei Medical completes new spinning plant for Planova™ filters

Asahi Kasei Medical has completed the construction of a new plant for the spinning of cellulose hollow-fiber membranes for Planova virus removal filters in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan.

Virus removal filters are used to enhance safety in the production process for biotherapeutic products such as biopharmaceuticals and plasma derivatives. Asahi Kasei Medical has earned wide recognition among customers around the world for the performance and reliability of its virus removal filters—both Planova cellulose membrane filters, which were launched in 1989 as the world's first filters developed specifically for removing viruses from biotherapeutic products, and Planova BioEX hydrophilic PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) membrane filters, which provide superior viral clearance in high protein concentration solutions.

With heightened standards throughout the world for the viral safety of biotherapeutics and advances in the development of monoclonal antibodies and other biopharmaceuticals, global demand for Planova filters is expected to continue on growing. The new spinning plant will enable Asahi Kasei Medical to maintain stable product supply and meet rising demand. Together with a spinning plant for Planova BioEX filters completed in Oita, Japan, in 2016, the new spinning plant announced today will increase Asahi Kasei Medical’s total production capacity for hollow-fiber virus removal membranes to 130,000 m2/year.

Asahi Kasei Medical will continue to contribute to greater safety of biotherapeutic products by developing high-quality and high-performance products in accordance with market needs, while proactively investing in manufacturing facilities.

Outline of the new spinning plant:
Location: Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan*
Capacity: 40,000 m2/year

* Adjacent to existing facilities for spinning hollow fiber and assembly of Planova filters

New spinning plant for Planova filters

New spinning plant for Planova filters

For more information, please contact:
Asahi Kasei Corp.
Corporate Communications
Phone: +81-(0)3-6699-3008

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