BASF’s Irgastab® enables Lotte Chemical to produce highly transparent medical polypropylene for COVID-19 vaccine syringes

Irgastab® helps improve the clarity of medical polypropylene (PP)

With the global mass vaccination of the new crown vaccine in full swing, the demand for medical polypropylene is also growing

Shanghai, China – August 2, 2021 – LOTTE Chemical, a major South Korean chemical company, is using BASF’s Irgastab®, a non-discoloring plastic processing stabilizer, to produce polypropylene (PP) for medical use
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As the global COVID-19 vaccination campaign is in full swing, the demand for syringes, from which medical-grade polypropylene (PP) is made, has grown exponentially
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Lotte Chemical's medical polypropylene has been used to produce LDS (low dead space) syringes developed by a Korean medical syringe manufacturer
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This special syringe is designed to minimise the amount of drug that remains in the needle after injection, thereby reducing vaccine waste
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With the use of LDS syringes, the number of people vaccinated with the same vaccine dose is expected to increase by 20%, therefore, LDS syringes are in huge demand worldwide
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Medical plastics require sterilization, which often results in polymer degradation and discoloration
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Hermann Althoff, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Performance Chemicals at BASF, explains: “Irgastab® helps to ensure that medical polypropylene is safe and suitable for use
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As a processing stabilizer, it prevents polypropylene from being damaged during pelletizing and injection molding.
Discoloration occurs, which is critical for LDS syringes because medical-grade materials need to be certified for high transparency
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With the launch of vaccination work, the demand for syringes will explode.
In response, Lotte Chemical is expanding the development of special polypropylene materials to ensure strict control of the production quality of medical materials, including high-transparency polypropylene, so as to improve the quality of production.
Well-suited to the growing related needs in the medical and security fields
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Dr.
Kang Kyung-Bo, Head of Lotte Chemical's R&D Center, said: "Lotte Chemical has a leading market position in the field of medical polypropylene
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We would like to join hands with BASF to lead and develop this market
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Given the advantages of Irgastab® in terms of color retention and transparency With this excellent performance, we are evaluating the possibility of expanding the use of Irgastab® to fibres and boards
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”

Many medical products, such as plastic syringes, serve human health and safety, which is one of the key pillars for a sustainable future for mankind
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Irgastab® also has advantages in terms of sustainability: Compared to other plastic additive solutions, Irgastab® protects plastics at lower concentrations in sensitive applications and is therefore more environmentally and resource friendly
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