Tangential Flow Filtration Market Size & Share Analysis - Trends, Drivers, Competitive Landscape, and Forecasts (2024 - 2030)

Tangential Flow Filtration Market Growth Drivers & Opportunities

Technological Advancements Are Major Trends in Market

• To improve the efficiency, throughout, and quality of the tangential flow filtration process, the associated technologies are being rapidly advanced.
• One of the newer technologies is single-pass tangential flow filtration systems, which reduce the volume of liquid required by enabling inline concentration in a single pass, through multiple membranes.
• They also link downstream and upstream processes, thus offering continuity.
• Another key advancement is automated systems, which offer faster and cost-effective processes and enable the real-time monitoring of pressure, transmembrane pressure, and flow rate.
• Moreover, the advent of pulsing and backflushing has made TFF systems more resistant to fouling.
•  In the same way, TFF systems are being integrated into other downstream processes, such as virus removal and chromatography, to make the whole system more streamlined, improve its efficiency, and reduce time and cost.

Growing Biopharmaceutical Industry Is Biggest Market Driver

• The global pharmaceutical industry is already worth around USD 1.5 trillion, driven by the rising prevalence of all kinds of issues, rapid urbanization, growing geriatric population, improving access to healthcare, and rising government spending on the medical sector.
• The majority of this value is accounted for by conventional pharmaceuticals, also known as small-molecule drugs. However, these medications have a lot of side-effects, often in areas that are not even their therapeutic targets.
• As a result, the field of biopharmaceuticals, or biologics, has been growing rapidly, reaching USD 448.1 billion in 2023. Further, this number is expected to rise to USD 745.1 billion by 2030, with a 7.6% CAGR.
• As per an article, almost 75% of the drugs approved in the U.S. in 2022 were biologics, including bispecific proteins, antibody–drug conjugates, and cell and gene therapies.
• Moreover, in 2022, the EMA and FDA approved 30 biologics for cancer.
• This is a key driver for the tangential flow filtration market as this technology is widely used to purify biomolecules.
• This is why TFF finds application in immunology, molecular biology (RNA/DNA/oligonucleotides), protein chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, and other subfields intrinsic to the biopharmaceuticals industry.
• The process is used to separate the target drug molecule from others in a cell culture, which can include DNA, proteins, and debris.

Membrane Technology Offers Business Opportunities

• Membrane technology is expected to become vital for end-to-end intensified bioprocessing of monoclonal antibodies, as resin-based chromatography has limitations at high volumes, which is forcing biomanufacturers to shift toward this technology.
• Microfluid devices for medical diagnosis using tangential flow microfiltration systems help to detect viral infections, such as HIV.
• Resources are limited in a few regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and the incidence rate is high.
• Thus, manufacturers are targeting such geographies for expansion.

Tangential Flow Filtration Market Analysis

Product Type Insights

The membrane filters category holds the maximum revenue share, of around 45%, in the tangential flow filtration market, as these are largely used in biologics manufacturing and laboratory settings. Among the membrane filters, the polyethersulfone category accounts for more than half of the revenue share, and it is projected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. This can be ascribed to the wide application of polyethersulfone membrane filters in the manufacturing of vaccines and separating proteins.

The single-use tangential flow filtration systems category will witness the highest CAGR over this decade, of 11.3%. This is because it helps in the reduction of labor costs by more than 50% and water usage and buffer by more than 70%. Moreover, it can increase productivity by more than 40%. Furthermore, end users are preferring single-use TFF systems over reusable TFF systems, as the former is approximately 30% more economical compared to the latter. Also, companies are providing customized single-use TFF as per the requirements of biomanufacturers. For instance, Agilitech offers custom-designed single-use TFF systems for enzyme manufacturers for producing cell-based products, commercially.

The following types of products have been analyzed:

• Single-Use (Fastest-Growing Category)
• Reusable
• Filtration Accessories
• Membrane Filters (Largest Category)
  • Polyethersulfone
  • Regenerated cellulose
  • Others

Technology Insights

The ultrafiltration category accounts for the largest share in 2024, of 55%. The sales of ultrafiltration membranes are gaining momentum, as they can separate biomolecules with small pore size, i.e., 0.01–0.1 μm, helping in reducing the manufacturing costs of biopharmaceutical products. Recently, General Biol, a Chinese drug manufacturer partnered with Cytiva to use its integrated FlexFactory single-use platform for the production of oligonucleotide. The platform includes Uniflux explosion-proof tangential flow ultrafiltration system, OligoProcess nucleic acid synthesis system, and ÄKTA Process explosion-proof purification system.

The reverse osmosis and nanofiltration category will grow the fastest in the market, during the forecast period. The 1–10-nanometer pore size of nanofiltration membranes enables effective selective ion separation and end-stage sterilization. Additionally, higher flux can be produced by them at lower pressures, and the process is also energy-efficient. Moreover, the removal of microbes, multivalent ions, organic compounds, and proteins becomes is enabled by this process as it only lets oil and water pass through. As a result, these technologies are widely employed in drug formulation and filling, feed water stream management, water purification, and water pollution control,

The below-mentioned technologies are covered in the report:

• Ultrafiltration (Largest Category)
• Microfiltration
• Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration (Fastest-Growing Category)

End User Insights

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies hold the largest share in the market, in 2024. This is attributed to the growth in the global biologics pipeline due to the support of government agencies and private research organizations. Seeing the opportunity, many key players in the market offer products specifically for pharma and biotech applications. The demand for biologics continues to rise with the increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, especially cancers and autoimmune diseases.

The CROs category will likely witness the highest CAGR, of 11.4%, during the forecast period. This is credited to the growing drug discovery and development outsourcing trends among both established and new pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies as a means to speed up the process and save money. Additionally, as more pharmaceutical patents expire, CROs try to capitalize on it by launching generics, which are cheaper yet equally effective and thoroughly tested for quality and safety.

The report offers insights on the following end users:

• Pharmaceutical and Biotechnological Companies (Largest Category)
• Academic and Research Institutes
• Contract Research Organizations (Fastest-Growing Category)
• Others

Geographical Analysis

• North America accounts for 45% of the tangential flow filtration market revenue in 2024 and it is expected to retain its position during the forecast period as well.
• This is ascribed to the surge in adoption of advanced technologies by biomanufacturing companies, the presence of major biomanufacturing facilities, and the rise in the number of new drug development projects, in the region.
• In North America, the U.S. market holds a larger share, and the Canadian market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, 70 biologics have been approved in the world, with an increase in number almost every year.
• Also, national governments in the region have been increasing funding in the biotechnology sector to boost research and development, along with educating individuals in this field.
• For instance, in FY 2022, the U.S. government proposed the funding of USD 382.26 million for biotechnology, compared to the actual funding of USD 324.61 million in FY 2020.
• Moreover, in 2023, the Canadian biotechnology sector recorded investments of around USD 12 billion in 65 deals.
• The APAC tangential flow filtration market is expected to witness the fastest growth, at a CAGR of 11.5%, during 2024–2030.
• This can be because the region is emerging as a pharmaceutical hub, with companies opening and expanding their manufacturing facilities in regional countries, especially bioprocessing facilities.
• For instance, in February 2022, GenScript Biotech Corporation opened a 30,000-square-feet facility in Singapore, expanding its protein and gene platform to support new vaccine development.
• In the APAC market, the major countries depicting strong growth potential include Singapore, South Korea, Australia, China, India, and Japan, owing to the surging adoption of technologically advanced manufacturing equipment.
• Among these, India holds the third position in the biotechnology industry, with more than 760 core biotech companies and 5,075 biotech startups operating across the country, which is expected to increase to approximately 10,000 by 2025.

The report offers analyses for these regions and countries:

• North America (Largest Regional Market)
  • U.S. (Larger and Faster-Growing Country Market)
  • Canada
• Europe
  • Germany (Largest and Fastest-Growing Country Market)
  • France
  • U.K.
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia-Pacific (APAC) (Fastest-Growing Regional Market)
  • China (Largest Country Market)
  • India (Fastest-Growing Country Market)
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • South Korea
  • Rest of APAC
• Latin America (LATAM)
  • Brazil (Largest and Fastest-Growing Country Market)
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
  • Rest of LATAM
• Middle East and Africa (MEA)
  • South Africa (Largest Country Market)
  • Saudi Arabia (Fastest-Growing Country Market)
  • Rest of MEA

Tangential Flow Filtration Market Share

The tangential flow filtration market is fragmented, primarily on account of the availability of a wide range of systems, such as membrane filters, single-use systems, and reusable equipment. These products have wide-ranging applications, and companies operating in different industries often have contracts with specific players who can cater to their unique requirements.

Tangential Flow Filtration Market News

• In June 2024, Merck KGaA announced an investment of EUR 62 million to set up a quality control center for its life sciences business at its headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany.
• In June 2024, Sartorius AG inaugurated a new center for bioanalytics research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This USD 100-million facility will produce, consumables, devices, and reagents for the analysis of cells and proteins.
• In February 2024, Danaher Corporation signed an MoU with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to improve the liver organoid technology for better drug toxicity screening, with the aim to speed up clinical trials and reduce failure rate.
• In November 2023, Repligen Corporation announced the launch of TangenX SC, a holder-free self-contained tangential flow filtration Device.