Merck KGaA Life Science (MilliporeSigma)(MRK.DE)
HQ DE30% share
manufactured · input
Bioprocess Ultrafiltration Membranes
Tangential flow filtration (TFF) and ultrafiltration membranes used in insulin downstream processing for broth clarification, buffer exchange, and concentration. Multiple qualified suppliers (Pall, Millipore/Merck, Sartorius, Repligen).
4
Source countries
5
Companies
1
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
Goods that need this input
1 essential American goods rely on bioprocess ultrafiltration membranes somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Source countries
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| USUnited States | 42% |
| DEGermany | 38% |
| SESweden | 8% |
| JPJapan | 5% |
Who makes it
Supplier companies
5 companies produce bioprocess ultrafiltration membranes.
Cytiva (Danaher Corporation)
HQ US
Life sciences tools and services business of Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR); formed from the 2019 GE Healthcare Life Sciences acquisition; produces Vivid® lateral flow nitrocellulose membranes (formerly Whatman/GE brand); market leader in lateral flow assay membranes for diagnostics; also owns the Pall filtration business; Cytiva Vivid membranes are the reference standard used in most FDA-cleared lateral flow diagnostic assays including COVID-19, pregnancy tests, and flu diagnostics; Marlborough MA headquarters
Pall Corporation (Danaher subsidiary)
HQ US
American filtration, separation, and purification technology company (Port Washington, NY; Danaher Corporation subsidiary since 2015 acquisition for $13.8B); world's second-largest pharmaceutical sterilizing filter manufacturer under the Supor® (PES), Fluorodyne® EX (PVDF), and Emflon® (PTFE) brands. Pall Corporation was founded in 1946 by Dr. David Pall, a British-born scientist who invented the first practical fluid filtration membrane for aircraft jet fuel systems during WWII — technology originally developed for military aviation now forms the basis of pharmaceutical sterile filtration. Pall's acquisition by Danaher — which also owns Cytiva (former GE Healthcare Life Sciences, bioreactors and chromatography) — means a single US conglomerate controls approximately 35-40% of the critical tools and materials used in both IV fluid manufacturing and biopharmaceutical drug production.
Repligen Corporation
HQ US
Repligen Corporation (Waltham MA; Nasdaq: RGEN; ~$700M revenue FY2024) is a bioprocessing technology company that manufactures OPUS pre-packed chromatography columns — stainless-steel-free, single-use chromatography column systems containing Protein A resin (primarily Cytiva MabSelect but also Repligen's own XCell ATF cell retention technology). Repligen's OPUS columns allow biopharmaceutical manufacturers to avoid traditional column packing and qualification steps, reducing process development time and contamination risk. Repligen also manufactures proprietary recombinant Protein A ligands (the biological binding molecule) that it supplies to third-party resin manufacturers — making Repligen a supplier to Cytiva's competitors rather than purely a downstream integrator. Repligen acquired Sweden-based ChromaTech in 2019 to expand its Protein A ligand production. Repligen's Protein A ligand business is a chokepoint within a chokepoint: the company supplies the biological molecule that multiple Protein A resin manufacturers attach to their beads.
Sartorius AG(SRT)
HQ DE
German life sciences company that manufactured the world's first industrial nitrocellulose membrane in 1960 in Göttingen. Its Unisart® CN series is one of the two dominant global LFA membrane brands. Key OEM supplier to virtually every major rapid test manufacturer.