Identification and characterization of a Triton X‐100 replacement for virus inactivation

Abstract Triton X‐100 detergent treatment is a robust enveloped virus inactivation unit operation included in biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes. However, the European Commission officially placed Triton X‐100 on the Annex XIV authorization list in 2017 because a degradation product of Triton X‐100, 4‐(1,1,3,3‐tetramethylbutyl) phenol (also known as 4‐tert‐octylphenol), is considered to have harmful endocrine disrupting activities. As a result, the use of Triton X‐100 in the European Economic Area (EEA) would not be allowed unless an ECHA issued authorization was granted after the sunset date of January 4, 2021. This has prompted biopharmaceutical manufacturers to search for novel, environment‐friendly alternative detergents for enveloped virus inactivation. In this study, we report the identification of such a novel detergent, Simulsol SL 11W. Simulsol SL 11W is an undecyl glycoside surfactant produced from glucose and C11 fatty alcohol. We report here that Simulsol SL 11W was able to effectively inactive enveloped viruses, such as xenotropic murine leukemia virus (XMuLV) and pseudorabies virus (PRV). By using XMuLV as a representative enveloped virus, the influence of various parameters on the effectiveness of virus inactivation was evaluated. Virus inactivation by Simulsol SL 11W was effective across different clarified bioreactor harvests at broad concentrations, pH, and temperature ranges. Simulsol SL 11W concentration, temperature of inactivation, and treatment time were identified as critical process parameters for virus inactivation. Removal of Simulsol SL 11W was readily achieved by Protein A chromatography and product quality was not affected by detergent treatment. Taken together, these results have shown the potential of Simulsol SL 11W as a desirable alternative to Triton X‐100 for enveloped virus inactivation that could be readily implemented into biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes.