EMD Millipore Announces Agreement with Precision Biologics, Inc. to Provide Upstream Process Development Services

DARMSTADT, Germany, Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- EMD Millipore, the Life Science business of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, today announced an agreement for providing upstream process development services for Precision Biologics, Inc., a Texas-based clinical-stage biotechnology company, to advance a preclinical monoclonal antibody. The antibody, NEO-201, binds to a tumor-specific antigen found in several forms of cancer, offering therapeutic potential across multiple cancer types, including colorectal, lung, ovarian, and pancreatic, an especially deadly cancer with limited treatment options.

Under the agreement, EMD Millipore will provide process development through its Provantage^® Services offering, which leverages the company's deep expertise in biopharmaceutical manufacturing to help customers design and develop custom processes that improve yield and productivity while reducing costs and accelerating time to market. The process development will occur at EMD Millipore's single-use GMP biodevelopment center in Martillac, France.

"We chose to partner with EMD Millipore because of their legacy of scientific and process development expertise," said Philip M. Arlen, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Precision Biologics, Inc. "In addition to their experience in the development of processes for manufacturing monoclonal antibodies, their approach to the structure of our partnership was very appealing and well-suited to an emerging company like ours. We are confident that EMD Millipore will be a valuable partner in advancing NEO-201 and helping to bring a potential new therapeutic to patients in need."

"We are delighted to partner with Precision Biologics, Inc. to support the process development for NEO-201 and its anticipated progression into clinical trials," said Udit Batra, President and Chief Executive Officer of EMD Millipore. "Our Provantage^® team is committed to developing an efficient, effective and robust manufacturing process to help reduce the time and cost required to advance this important pre-clinical drug candidate into the next phase for clinical production."

For more information about Provantage^® Services, please visit: www.emdmillipore.com/Provantage.

For more information about Precision Biologics, Inc. and its drug candidate, please visit: http://www.precision-biologics.com.

About EMD Millipore
EMD Millipore is the Life Science division of Merck KGaA of Germany and 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 2013 revenues of €2.6 billion. EMD Millipore is known as Merck Millipore outside of the U.S. and Canada.

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

Note: Merck KGaA or Merck shall mean Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors. Its subsidiaries in Canada and the United States operate under the umbrella brand EMD. Around 39,000 employees work in 66 countries to improve the quality of life for patients, to further the success of customers and to help meet global challenges. The company generated total revenues of € 11.1 billion in 2013 with its four divisions: Biopharmaceuticals, Consumer Health, Performance Materials and Life Science Tools. Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company – since 1668, the name has stood for innovation, business success and responsible entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70 percent interest, the founding family remains the majority owner of the company to this day.

SOURCE EMD Millipore

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