Sartorius Stedim Biotech And NewAge Industries AdvantaPure Team To Offer The Biopharmaceutical Industry Value-Added Solutions

Sartorius Stedim Biotech and NewAge Industries Inc. have signed a collaboration agreement that provides the AdvantaPure GammaTag gamma-stable RFID tag exclusively for Sartorius Stedim's single-use Fluid Management Technology portfolio used in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Sartorius Stedim plans to integrate NewAge Industries' patented PET Process Equipment Tracking technology into its single-use Fluid Management Technologies, becoming the first company worldwide to offer RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology on bioprocess containers. The integration of the GammaTag provides total paperless traceability and facilitates quick retrieval of batch-related information through a gamma-stable medium.

RFID technology enables the user to both read and write all relevant product and process information directly on the component, providing instantaneous recall. The tag also provides the user immediate access to the component's original part number, lot number, date of manufacture, sterilization data, expiration date and other critical item-level data normally contained in the product certificate of quality.

In addition to the exclusive licensing agreement, Sartorius Stedim Biotech and NewAge Industries AdvantaPure entered into a bilateral supply agreement. In this agreement, AdvantaPure will become a preferred supplier of tubing, and Sartorius Stedim Biotech will make bioprocess containers available to NewAge.

Reinhard Vogt, Executive Vice President and member of the board of Sartorius Stedim Biotech said the agreement is a further essential milestone in exploiting the full potential of single-use technologies for the biopharmaceutical Industry. "This new, innovative technology is needed to provide proper documentation and traceability as well as to fulfill the growing demands of regulatory agencies. Particularly in the past two years, Sartorius Stedim Biotech has built up a broad portfolio of single-use technologies anticipating these market trends, and this has set us apart from the competition considerably. The term 'totally disposable factory' with smart technology features is now becoming a reality."

Ken Baker, President and CEO of NewAge Industries AdvantaPure, explained the benefits of the agreement for NewAge Industries: "Sartorius Stedim Biotech offers us the opportunity to partner in the development of single-use technologies with the market leader and be a part of providing integrated single-use systems to the biopharmaceutical market, as opposed to offering individual components and forcing the user to design complete solutions."

Through this agreement and others like it, Sartorius Stedim Biotech and NewAge Industries AdvantaPure will continue expanding their portfolios of single-use technologies targeted to the production of biopharmaceuticals.

About Sartorius Stedim Biotech
Sartorius Stedim Biotech is a leading provider of cutting-edge technologies and services for the development, quality assurance and production processes of the biopharmaceutical industry. Its integrated solutions covering fermentation, filtration, purification, fluid management and lab technologies are supporting the biopharmaceutical industry around the world to develop and produce drugs safely, timely and economically. For next generation processes, Sartorius Stedim Biotech focuses on single-use Fluid Management Technologies and added-value services to meet the rapidly changing technology requirements of the industry it serves. Strongly rooted in the scientific community and closely allied with customers and technology partners, the company is dedicated to its philosophy of "Turning science into solutions."

Headquartered in Aubagne, France, Sartorius Stedim Biotech is listed on the Eurolist of Euronext Paris. With its own manufacturing and sales companies in Europe, North America and Asia, Sartorius Stedim Biotech enjoys a world-wide presence. Its key manufacturing and R&D location is in Germany. The company employs over 2,300 people and earned in 2007 pro forma sales revenue of 375.9 million euros.

About NewAge Industries AdvantaPure
AdvantaPure, a division of NewAge Industries, specializes in high-purity products for the pharmaceutical, biotech, food, beverage, and chemical industries. Along with its traditional lines of sanitary tubing, hose and stainless-steel fittings, AdvantaPure specializes in supplying the biopharmaceutical market with single-use process components and assembled systems used in the production of vaccines and drugs. Platinum-cured silicone tubing and reinforced hose are manufactured and packaged in a Class 1000 cleanroom and stored in a particulate-controlled environment. Other products include chemical-resistant PTFE, and FDA and USP Class VI conforming rubber food and beverage hoses. Value-added services include custom extrusion and molded silicone components, hose assemblies, Hose Track RFID solutions, engineering and design input, and outsourcing of gamma-irradiation and third-party process components for delivery of pre-assembled, sanitary manifold systems.

SOURCE: Sartorius Stedim Biotech and NewAge Industries Inc.