Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) is the most commonly used serum in the field of Biotechnology. It can be used in academic research, in industrial research and development, as a component of in-vitro diagnostic kits and laboratory reagents as well as in therapeutic or vaccine manufacturing. Being subject to so many different areas of use, the costs of its production vary widely, depending on the necessary processing steps, on control over raw material supply and on quality and regulatory requirements. Sourcing of the raw serum from the right country of origin is a key value-added step and is reflected into the sales price of the finished product.
The process of sourcing FBS is complex and depends on various factors such as: natural conditions, (meat) market development, economic and technical development, regulatory requirements. Even the political situation (e.g. in the sourcing country) can open or close the specific market for FBS.
In a series of articles we will focus on each factor of influence and will report about tendencies and trends. We will talk about availability, where prices are going to and what manufacturers and end users do in times of shortage.
Let’s have a look at how the last FBS shortage in Europe looked like. Dr. Peter Haeusl, owner of Biophyll GmbH, described the reasons for the shortage in an article published in the European Biotechnology News. Demand and supply, EU import regulations and Brazil’s economic development were the reasons that caused shortage and price increases at that time. The same factors haven’t lost validity six years later, they also apply to other geographies beyond the EU borders.
Follow us to find out more on this topic.
