New Purell polypropylene resins from LyondellBasell help Asian customers meet relevant regulatory requirements of China Medical Packaging Standards

LyondellBasell Industries, the new global leader in polymers, chemicals and fuels, has developed new Purell PP resins in Asia for use in customer injection stretch blow moulding (ISBM) and extrusion blow moulding (EBM) processes.  Bottles produced by customers using these new Purell PP resins have passed relevant China National Standards for Medical Packaging (YBB) requirements.

Produced as a result of new inroads in polymer and processing technology, Purell RP270M and RP271G address not only essential regulatory requirements, but customer needs for higher performance, flexibility and stability. The primary application area in which customers express interest for the new grades is intravenous (IV) bottles.

Supplied by LyondellBasell Asian joint ventures PolyMirae in Korea and HMC Polymers in Thailand, the resins are available in China and other Asian markets through regional suppliers. Part of LyondellBasell’s Purell family of resins, the materials are targeted for the medical and pharmaceutical markets.

“These approvals reflect our dedication to the medical market, and to the high quality and performance of our joint venture products,” said Mitchell Killeen, head of polymers marketing at LyondellBasell in . “In addition, they can assist potential customers in the selection and qualification of Purell RP270M and RP271G for bottles in medical applications,” said .

“Traditional medical IV bottles made out of glass are heavy and difficult to manage, and also dangerous when broken. Substitutes using polypropylene are not only easier to manage and more convenient, but they are also chemically stable. Polypropylene has good thermal stability, and customers have produced PP bottles that can withstand autoclave temperatures of up to 121˚C,” he added.

IV bottles produced by our customers using Purell RP270M were approved in November 2007 according to the requirements of YBB00022002 by the Zhejiang Medical Packaging Testing Centre, a renowned testing facility under the China State Food & Drug Administration. Developed by PolyMirae in , the resin is a random copolymer that has demonstrated excellent biaxially oriented processing features and transparency.

Purell RP270M previously passed the specified biological testing according to theUS Pharmacopeia Class VI – Plastics regulations.  With the recent approvals in , the resin is now commercially available in and for export to other Asian markets mainly targeting customers producing IV infusion bottles, ophthalmic applications such as eye drop bottles and cosmetic packaging.

In December 2007, IV bottles made from Purell RP271G, supplied by HMC Polymers in , also passed the micro particle test as specified in the YBB00022002. Purell RP271G is a random copolymer used by customers in extrusion blow moulded IV solution bottles that require good clarity and thermal sterilisation stability. The resin also passed the specified biological testing according to theUS Pharmacopeia Class VI - Plastics.