Tokyo, Japan—Tosoh Corporation announces it has acquired additional shares in Semba Biosciences, Inc. of the United States, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary. The acquisition is part of Tosoh’s efforts to strengthen solutions for continuous biopharmaceutical production, thereby expanding its bioscience business. The company name has been changed from Semba Biosciences, Inc., to Tosoh Bioscience Wisconsin, Inc. The acquisition is being conducted by Tosoh Bioscience LLC, headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and a wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Tosoh Corporation.
The market for biopharmaceuticals continues to grow at a high rate, driven by increasing demand for antibody and gene therapy drugs as well as COVID-19 vaccines. Liquid chromatography is commonly used in the production of biopharmaceuticals. Continuous chromatography is attracting attention as a new method that combines multiple columns and automated control of sample, eluent, and washing solution flow through valve operation. This enables the continuous parallel performance of adsorption, elution, column washing, and other processes. Continuous chromatography is more flexible in handling demand fluctuations and more effective in reducing pharmaceutical production costs than the conventional batch method.
Semba Biosciences is a manufacturer and distributor of chromatography equipment, having launched the world's first tabletop continuous chromatography system, Octave®, in 2009. Octave can perform continuous multicolumn protocols such as simulated moving bed chromatography, resulting in 20 times the productivity of traditional single-column chromatography systems. Tosoh initially acquired a stake in Semba Biosciences in 2018 and has since been working to help expand the company’s product lineup. This includes the development of ProGMP™, a continuous chromatography system that complies with Good Manufacturing Practice standards for pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality control.
With the acquisition of Semba as a wholly-owned subsidiary, Tosoh Corporation will work more closely with Tosoh Biosciences Wisconsin, Inc. to further expand its continuous chromatography business and create synergies with its liquid chromatography separation media (Toyopearl®) and column (SkillPakTM) businesses. To provide advanced products to the rapidly expanding biopharmaceutical market, Tosoh will aggressively strengthen the global foundation of its separation and purification business. Strengthening combined with expansion into peripheral and new areas of business will result in Tosoh becoming a total solution provider in purification for the biopharmaceutical industry.
Tosoh Bioscience Wisconsin, Inc.
Established: May 2005
Investment ratio: Tosoh Group 100%
Location: Madison, Wisconsin (USA)
Business: Manufacture and sale of chromatography equipment and bio-related reagents
Tosoh Bioscience LLC
Tosoh Bioscience LLC provides liquid chromatography products to laboratories and manufacturing plants in the Americas. While the majority of our customers work in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, our U/HPLC columns and systems are essential tools for sample analysis in most industries. Our all-in-one dedicated GPC system, the EcoSEC® GPC System, is predominantly used in the chemical and polymer industries while our EcoSEC High Temperature GPC System is ideal for the polyolefin and oil industries. In the field of biotechnology, our preparative chromatography resins play a critical role in the purification of proteins and nucleic acids for medical purposes.
The company is a subsidiary of Tosoh Corporation in Japan, the parent of the Tosoh Group, which comprises over 100 companies worldwide and a multiethnic workforce of over 12,000 people and generated net sales of ¥732.9 billion (US $6.9 billion at the average rate of ¥106.1 to the US dollar) in fiscal 2021, ended March 31, 2021. Tosoh’s Bioscience Division comprises products and solutions of both separation and purification and of clinical diagnostics serving customers worldwide.
“Tosoh Bioscience” and “EcoSEC” are the registered trademarks of Tosoh Corporation in Japan, the United States, and other countries/territories.
TOSOH CORPORATION
Who We Are
Tosoh Corporation is the parent of the Tosoh Group, which comprises over 100 companies worldwide and a multiethnic workforce of over 12,000 people. It generated net sales of ¥732.9 billion (US$6.9 billion at the average rate of ¥106.1 to the US dollar) in fiscal 2021, ended March 31, 2021.
What We Do
Tosoh is one of the largest chlor-alkali manufacturers in Asia. The company supplies the plastic resins and an array of the basic chemicals that support modern life. Tosoh’s petrochemical operations supply ethylene, polyethylene, and functional polymers, while its advanced materials business serves the global semiconductor, display, and solar industries. Tosoh has also pioneered sophisticated bioscience systems that are used for the monitoring of life-threatening diseases. In addition, Tosoh demonstrates its commitment to a sustainable future in part by manufacturing a variety of eco-products.
Stock Exchange Ticker Symbol: 4042
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