Asahi Kasei : Construction of new spinning plant for Planova™ filters

December 21, 2017
Asahi Kasei Medical Co., Ltd.

Asahi Kasei Medical will construct a new plant for the spinning of cellulose hollow-fiber membranes for Planova™ virus removal filters in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan, increasing annual production capacity by 40,000 m/year upon completion in May 2019.

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 m/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.