Cell Culture Media Market - Industry-Specific Challenges and Trends Affecting the Growth

In the pharmaceutical industry, cell culture has become a prominent part of vaccine production. The cell culture technology has been used to produce vaccines for rotavirus, polio, smallpox, hepatitis, rubella, and chickenpox. Cell-based flu vaccines have also been approved for use in the US and many European countries.

Earlier, vaccines were manufactured by growing and harvesting viruses in chicken eggs, which was a time-consuming process. On the other hand, cell culture-based vaccine production is a far more efficient method. Its advantages over traditional manufacturing methods include a shortened lead-time and the capability to produce vaccines in larger quantities as per demand. Moreover, cell culture-based vaccines can be stored over a longer period. According to a study published by the CDC in the Journal of Infectious Diseases (June 2020), cell-based vaccines provided greater protection against flu-related hospitalizations than standard-dose egg-based vaccines among Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older. For the 2020-2021 flu season, all four flu viruses used in Flucelvax Quadrivalent were cell-derived. Consequently, recent years have seen a surge in cell-based vaccines, resulting in efforts by prominent companies to capitalize on the opportunities provided. Seqirus, for example, has been active in this field.

- In February 2020, Seqirus (a part of CSL Limited) received US FDA approval for AUDENZ, a cell-based Influenza A (H5N1) Monovalent Vaccine for individuals aged six months and older.

- In January 2019, Seqirus received approval from the European Commission for its new cell-based seasonal influenza vaccine, FLUCELVAX TETRA.

Key players in the Cell Culture Media Market include Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US), Merck KGaA (Germany), Danaher Corporation (US), Sartorius AG (Germany), Corning Incorporated (US), FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific, Inc. (Japan), Lonza Group AG (Switzerland), Becton, Dickinson and Company (US), Miltenyi Biotec (Germany), HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. (India), STEMCELL Technologies Inc. (Canada), Biologos LLC (US), Cell Applications, Inc. (US), Caisson Laboratories Inc. (US), PromoCell GmbH (Germany), Cell Biologics, Inc. (US), InvivoGen (France), Pan-Biotech GmbH (Germany), Peprotech, Inc. (US), Cellular Technology Limited, LLC (US), ZenBio, Inc. (US), Athena Environmental Sciences, Inc. (US), Cyagen Biosciences (US), Biowest SAS (France), and Akron Biotech (US)

The global cell culture media market has been segmented into North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. In 2020, North America accounted for the largest share of the cell culture media market, followed by Europe. The growing regulatory approvals for cell culture-based vaccines, growth in the biotechnology & pharmaceutical industries, higher investments in cell-based research, and strong government support are the key factors driving the growth of the cell culture media market in North America..

The cell culture media market, by type, is segmented into serum-free media, classical media & salts, stem cell culture media, specialty media, chemically defined media, and other cell culture media. In 2020, the serum-free media segment accounted for the largest share of the market. This can be attributed to the advantages of serum-free media over other types of media, including consistent performance, increased growth & productivity, better control over physiological responsiveness, and reduced risk of contamination by serum-borne adventitious agents in cell culture.