EMD Millipore Receives Recertification of GMP Compliance for Biodevelopment Centre in Martillac, France

• 3440 m² facility houses process development, preclinical- and clinical-scale production
• Single-use upstream and downstream GMP suites for mammalian proteins

September 12, 2013, Billerica, MA — EMD Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced that its Biodevelopment Centre in Martillac, France, has been recertified by the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM), the competent authority of France. The certification confirms the 3440-square-meter facility complies with the principles of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for active substances. The audit included a thorough review of quality systems, supplier management, control of raw materials, documentation, calibration and validation. Prior certification consisted only of stainless steel equipment, while this recertification included complete single-use upstream and downstream suites, as well as a 2 x 1250L stainless steel suite.

EMD Millipore’s Provantage^® biodevelopment and clinical supply services are delivered at the Martillac, France facility. This innovative approach for biologics manufacturing incorporates the latest technologies in upstream, downstream and single-use systems. This Provantage^® offering includes process development and GMP drug substance for pre-clinical to phase II and is available to a global customer base.

“We are proud to be one of the first facilities to attain GMP compliance utilizing single-use equipment for each unit operation from upstream through downstream. This recertification reflects the teamwork and dedication of our entire staff and provides our customers with complete confidence in our technical expertise and quality,” notes Richard Pearce, Business and Operations Director of the Biodevelopment Centre.

For more information, please visit www.emdmillipore.com/provantage.

About EMD Millipore
EMD Millipore is the Life Science division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, offers a broad range of innovative, performance products, services and business relationships that enable our customers' success in research, development and production of biotech and pharmaceutical drug therapies. Through dedicated collaboration on new scientific and engineering insights, and as one of the top three R&D investors in the Life Science Tools industry, EMD Millipore serves as a strategic partner to customers and helps advance the promise of life science.

Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, the division has around 10,000 employees, operations in 66 countries and 2012 revenues of €2.6 billion.