LLANTRISANT, Wales, October 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Purolite Ltd., a leading manufacturer and distributor of agarose resins to the biopharmaceutical industry, today announces the opening of a state-of-the-art agarose resin manufacturing facility. Capable of producing 100,000L annually - equating to 30% of current global demand - it is predicted that the South Wales-based facility will promote increased resin innovation within the field, reducing the end-user cost of biologics and boosting local supply chains by up to £120 million.

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The facility was officially opened on September 27^th by the Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales, and Steve Bates, Chief Executive Officer of the BioIndustry Association. Both gentleman gave speeches to commemorate the opening, talking on Purolite's impact on the Biotechnology sector, and contributions to Welsh economy through continuous manufacturing expansion and job creation.

Welsh Government support of £575,000 was crucial in securing the project for Wales, due to strong competition from Purolite's existing facilities in USA, China and Romania, and the facility has, to date, created and safeguarded 60 jobs in South Wales. First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, said, "Investment in high-value manufacturing facilities is pushing Wales to the fore in the ever-growing Life Sciences sector. Welsh Government funding has enabled Purolite to expand its work and its workforce with a new manufacturing facility here in Llantrisant - 35 years after the company first established a base in Wales. I thank Purolite's talented employees for a fascinating behind-the-scenes insight into the new facility and for showing how biotechnology is enhancing life-saving medicines."

BIA CEO Steve Bates commented: "It was an honour to be at the opening of the new Purolite Life Sciences facility and to see this important new biotech manufacturing centre. Purolite have shown a commitment to the UK biotech ecosystem and the facility will help to expand the UK's ability to manufacture cutting edge medicines."

Agarose resins are an integral technology used by pharmaceutical developers in the manufacture of modern medicines targeting the treatment of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and a variety of age-related diseases. The new manufacturing facility will enable dual-sourcing of agarose resins to secure a consistent supply. Spread over 2400 sq. m, the purpose-built facility in Llantrisant, South Wales, UK, leverages Purolite's manufacturing knowledge to optimise for lower energy, less raw material consumption and more time efficient processes.

"The decision to open a new facility was driven by the expected growth in the chromatography resin market in the coming years," said Chris Major, Global Sales & Marketing Director for Agarose Life Sciences at Purolite Corporation, "however, we have seen an increasing demand from the industry for alternative suppliers of agarose chromatography resins. Before Purolite entered the market place several years ago, there was only one provider of agarose Protein A resins, with close to 95% market share. Today, Purolite is the only credible alternative."

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Purolite Life Sciences  

Started in 2012, Purolite Life Sciences supports R&D and production-scale applications in pharmaceuticals, food production, fine chemical and other markets. Our products include APIs, blood purification polymers, enzyme carriers, immobilized enzymes and chromatographic resins designed for purity, reproducibility, scalability and improved outcomes for scientists and biomanufacturers.

Additional information is available at http://www.purolitelifesciences.com

Follow us on Twitter: @PuroliteLifeSci

Follow us on LinkedIn: Purolite Life Sciences

Contact:
Purolite Life Sciences 
N: Sam Beales (Creative Marketing Manager)
E: sam.beales@purolite.com 
T: +44(0)144-322-9334

SOURCE Purolite Life Sciences