Flash Chromatography Market: by Technique Type (Reverse Phase, Ion Exchange, Size Exclusion, Chiral Separation), by End User (Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Industries, Contract Research Organization), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Rest of the World) —Forecast to 2027

Flash Chromatography Market Forecast

The global flash chromatography market is expected to cross ~USD 378.9 million by 2027 at a CAGR of 5.2%.

Market Overview:

Flash chromatography is a purification process that uses air pressure to achieve rapid separation. It differs from conventional column techniques as it uses smaller silica gel particles and 50–200 psi pressured gas. In this process, the solid stationary phase is packed into a vertical glass (column) and the mobile phase (liquid form) is moved through it by gravity or external pressure. Various manufacturers provide flash chromatography across the world. For instance, Teledyne ISCO (US) CombiFlash EZ Prep System is marketed globally. This product is used to perform both flash and preparative purifications on the same instrument.

The flash chromatography market is expected to rise significantly during the forecast period, owing to the factors such growing demand for purification and filtration process by the pharmaceutical & biotech companies, and rising life sciences research. In addition, rising applications of flash chromatography for drug discovery, natural product purification, sample clean-up, and organic compounds synthesis among others are also boosting the market growth during the forecast period.

COVID-19 Analysis

The global flash chromatography market is projected to witness significant growth in this pandemic period. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increasing use of flash chromatography systems for the drug development and research is expected to have a positive impact on market growth. Researchers are using chromatography, a powerful laboratory-based analytical method to better understand the Sars-CoV-2 virus and develop new medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic tools to aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, CombiFlash NextGen flash chromatography equipment by Teledyne ISCO (US) is used by many pharmaceutical companies and universities for COVID-19 drug research.

Moreover, purifying and filtering vaccines at various stages is an important part of the vaccines manufacturing process. The use of chromatography columns to separate the vaccine from the rest of the mixture is one of the most important purification processes. According to the WHO, more than 288 COVID-19 vaccines are being researched, with an estimated 184 vaccines currently being investigated in pre-clinical stages and 104 vaccines in various stages of clinical trials as of July 2021. According to the WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) there have been 238.2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and a total of 6,364 million vaccine doses administered as of 13th October 2021. Hence, rising number of administration of doses and large number of confirmed cases will increase demand for flash chromatography to develop effective vaccines during the forecast period.

Market Dynamics

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  Rising applications of flash chromatography across the globe
  
  
  
  • Flash chromatography is an analytical tool for separation and purification of desired compound from the mixture. Flash chromatography is normally a low-pressure technique used for several purposes including drug discovery, organic compounds synthesis, DNA purification, R&D in pharma laboratories, alkaloids purification, and others. In addition, it is also used in herbal industry for separation of herbals & phytochemicals, and purification of the pigments from plant leaves. Hence, rising applications of flash chromatography across the globe drives the growth of the flash chromatography market.
  
  
  • Additionally, technological advancements in flash chromatography systems and increase in number of research-based activities across the globe is fueling the growth of the market. According to ClinicalTrials.gov, there were 392,063 clinical studies registered globally as of October 2021, a massive increase from the year 2000 (2119 clinical trials). Therefore, rising R&D activities by pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies will create demand for flash chromatography for new drug development and is driving the flash chromatography market growth.
  
  
  
  


• The advancement in chromatography technology

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  Shortage of skilled professionals in operating the equipment
  
  
  
  • There is an impending shortage of skilled professionals available in the flash chromatography industry. The appropriate use of flash chromatography equipment necessitates knowledge of various chromatography procedures as well as competence with relevant experience. Growing importance of flash chromatography techniques in pharmaceutical & biotech companies for purification and filtration will further increase the demand for flash chromatography instruments. However, shortage of chromatographers is anticipated to restrain the market growth.
  
  
  
  


• High cost of instruments

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  Rise in demand for herbal medicinal products
  
  
  
  • Flash chromatography techniques enable to analyze the quality of manufactured herbal medicines by separating a mixture of substances into their constituents. In addition, it also helps for isolation, extraction and purification of chemical substances from herbal plants such as flavonoids, ginsenosides, catechins, gallachinensis, ferulic acid, chromophoric & nonchromophoric compounds, among others.
  
  
  • According to a study by the Directorate of Ayush (India), an integrated therapy of modern medicine and ayurvedic medicine has benefited COVID-19 patients, resulting in speedier recovery in mild to moderate COVID-19 cases and reducing ICU admissions and deaths. Hence, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the approval of several herbal medicinal products as an immunity booster beneficial in dealing with the current pandemic. Moreover, rising government initiatives regarding use of herbal medicines will propel the market growth. For instance, in May 2021, Ayush Ministry (India) launched nationwide distribution campaign of Ayush 64 & Kabasura Kudineer for the benefit of the vast majority of COVID-19 patients who were treated outside of the hospital.
  
  
  
  

• The global flash chromatography market is expected to increase significantly over the forecast period, owing to the factors like increasing R&D initiatives by pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, and various applications of flash chromatography such as drug development, sample clean-up, and others. In addition, large number of emerging players in the market involved in new product launches, acquisition & strategic collaborations is fueling the growth of the market. The value chain analysis of the flash chromatography market comprises four major components starting with the R&D and designing, followed by manufacturing the products, distribution & sales, and ends with post-sales services.

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  Reverse Phase
  
  
  
  • Reverse phase flash chromatography is an extremely useful purification technique for a wide range of compound types. It is also useful for synthesis of increasingly complex reaction mixtures & polar compounds. Hydrophobic chemicals will bind to the lipophilic stationary phase and vaporize when the solvent polarity lowers as reverse phase chromatography uses partitioning as a separation process. For instance, ISOSPEED Flash System, a product based on reverse phase flash chromatography technique is offered by Orochem Technologies, Inc. (US).
  
  
  
  


• 
  Ion Exchange
  
  
  
  • Ion exchange chromatography is designed specifically for the separation and purification of differently charged or ionizable compounds from natural or synthetic sources, such as proteins, peptides, enzymes, nucleotides, DNA, antibiotics, and vitamins. Moreover, rising adoption of ion-exchange techniques in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, environmental, agricultural, water, and food & beverage industries can be attributed to the market expansion of the ion-exchange chromatography segment. In the environmental testing industry, the technique is also used to evaluate for safety, content, and quality. As a result, the above factors are boosting the market expansion.
  
  
  
  


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  Size Exclusion
  
  
  
  • Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) separates molecules by differences in size as they pass through a resin packed in a column. SEC has the advantage of being able to change the conditions to suit the type of sample or the requirements for further purification, analysis, or storage without disrupting the separation. It is useful for the fractionation of proteins & other water-soluble polymers, and to examine the stability & characteristics of natural organic matter in water.
  
  
  
  


• 
  Chiral Separation
  
  
  
  • Chiral separation by high-performance liquid chromatography using a chiral stationary phase is one of the most efficient methods for separating enantiomers. The rising adoption of chiral separation techniques in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and food & beverage industries can be attributed to the market expansion of the chiral separation segment. In the pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries pure enantiomers are required for biological testing, toxicological studies and clinical testing. Chiral puriFlash columns, a product based on chiral separation flash chromatography technique for the separation of enantiomers on a chiral HPLC column which is offered by Interchim Inc. (France).
  
  
  
  

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  Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Industries
  
  
  
  • The pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries segment held the largest market share in 2020 due to the rising investment in R&D activities, along with the increasing importance of flash chromatography systems in drug R&D, as well as in impurity isolation during drug purification and drug method development & validation, are boosting the market growth.
  
  
  
  


• 
  Contract Research Organization
  
  
  
  • A contract research organization offers pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device organizations a variety of clinical research services such as drug discovery to pharmacovigilance, post-approval services, and others. A sponsor organization contracts a contract research organization on a project-by-project basis for clinical trials. Flash chromatography techniques are used extensively in contract research organization for various clinical research purposes which require separation or purification of products. For instance, Alturas Analytics, Inc. (US) is a pre-clinical and clinical bioanalysis contract research organization, which provides drug discovery to phase IV clinical trials using chromatography techniques.
  
  
  
  


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  Others
  
  
  
  • Other end users of flash chromatography are research and academic institutes, food & environmental industries among others. In food industry, the flash chromatography is used for food analysis to detect aflatoxin in food, sugar content analysis and various other organic compound determination.
  
  
  
  

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  Technological advancements in chromatography techniques and presence of key players in the region are driving the North American flash chromatography market
  
  
  
  • North America held the largest share in 2020 in flash chromatography market, owing to the constant technological developments, rising investment in the healthcare industry, and presence of major key players in the region. These players are involved in new product launches, acquisitions, business expansions, and strategic collaborations. For instance, in October 2018, Biotage (Sweden) launched Selekt flash purification system. This new product launch will increase productivity and has a finer control to simplify even the most advanced separation.
  
  
  
  

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  Rising R&D investment and developed healthcare infrastructure is anticipated to drive the growth of the flash chromatography market
  
  
  
  • European flash chromatography market is driven by developed healthcare infrastructure, rising adoption of flash chromatography technique for food analysis in food and beverage industry and in forensic pathology for toxicology screening. Moreover, rising R&D investment by the pharmaceutical industry boosts the demand of flash chromatography for drug discovery. For instance, as per the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, the pharmaceutical industry spent more than USD 44,545.6 million on R&D in 2020.
  
  
  
  

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  Rising demand of flash chromatography and developing healthcare infrastructure is fueling the Asia-Pacific flash chromatography market
  
  
  
  • Asia-Pacific is estimated to be the fastest-growing market during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to the developing healthcare infrastructure, and rising number of contract research & manufacturing companies. In addition, rising demand of flash chromatography in industries such as environmental testing, pharmaceutical industries, and forensics is also contributing to market growth.
  
  
  • In addition, growing R&D initiatives in the pharmaceutical & biotechnology industry to cater to the rising need for treatment of various chronic diseases is driving the growth of the flash chromatography market. For instance, according to Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, the biotechnology industry in India comprises around 600 core biotech companies, and approximately 4,000 biotech start-ups, which are estimated to reach 10,000 by 2024. Thus, such rapid growth in research indicates an opportunity for various chromatography system manufacturers to enter this market.
  
  
  
  

• The Rest of the World is segmented into the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. The flash chromatography market in the rest of the world is driven by rising government initiatives for improving the healthcare sector and advances in flash chromatographic techniques. Increasing applications of flash chromatography systems for molecular biology studies, dietary supplements, purification of marine bacteria, and for lipids separation in pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies in the region are also contributing to the growth of the flash chromatography market.

• The flash chromatography market is profitable, both for existing players as well as new entrants. Our analysis revealed that market players have adopted different strategies and innovative R&D techniques to expand their business and secure their position in the market. For instance, in October 2018, Biotage (Sweden) launched Sfär flash purification columns. This product helps to increase the rate of purification whilst reducing solvent usage. The companies are investing in R&D activities to expand their product portfolio, further driving the flash chromatography market. In addition, the market players are adopting various strategies such as joint ventures, contractual agreements, new product launches, and partnering with other players to expand their global footprint.

• Biotage (Sweden)


• Thermo Fisher Scientific (US)


• Shimadzu Corporation (Japan)


• PerkinElmer, Inc. (US)


• GE Healthcare (US)


• Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US)


• Interchim SA (France)


• Tosoh Corporation (Japan)


• Teledyne ISCO (US)


• Gilson, Inc. (US)


• Waters Corporation (US)


• W R Grace and Company (US)

• In April 2021, Phenomenex, Inc. (US), a leading player in the flash chromatography consumables has opened new office in South Jakarta (Indonesia) to provide sales and support services. This expansion will grow its customer base in Indonesia byproviding top-of-the-line chromatography products.


• In August 2018, Teledyne ISCO (US) launched CombiFlash NextGen flash chromatography systems. This new product offers options to address a variety of workloads, detection, and automation needs. Moreover, CombiFlash NextGen flash chromatography system is configurable enough for both discovery and development-scale purifications.

• The study covers the existing short-term and long-term market effects, as well as helping decision-makers to draught short-term and long-term plans for businesses by region. The report covers major regions in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. The report analyzes market drivers, restraints, opportunities, challenges, Porter's Five Forces, Value Chain, and impact of COVID-19 on the market.

• Reverse Phase


• Ion Exchange


• Size Exclusion


• Chiral Separation

• Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Industries


• Contract Research Organization


• Others

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  North America
  
  
  
  • US
  
  
  • Canada
  
  
  
  


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  Europe
  
  
  
  • Germany
  
  
  • France
  
  
  • UK
  
  
  • Italy
  
  
  • Spain
  
  
  • Rest of Europe
  
  
  
  


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  Asia-Pacific
  
  
  
  • China
  
  
  • Japan
  
  
  • India
  
  
  • Australia
  
  
  • South Korea
  
  
  • Rest of Asia-Pacific
  
  
  
  


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  Rest of the World
  
  
  
  • Middle East & Africa
  
  
  • Latin America