A Review of Tangential Flow Filtration: Process Development and Applications in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Tangential flow filtration is an efficient membrane separation technology utilized across a wide range of industries for separation and purification applications. The requirement of telescoped manufacturing to produce high-volume drugs in the pharmaceutical industry has led to increased adoption of membrane separation for drug substance synthesis. Particularly, for noncrystalline molecules with limited product stability and significant thermal liabilities, TFF is a powerful alternative to traditional isolation techniques. This Review discusses the various considerations during the development of a TFF process and highlights applications of TFF to produce pharmaceutically relevant molecules such as proteins, peptides, monoclonal antibodies, and so on. Finally, a future perspective on the technology is shared for improved performance.