Using BASF’s (Ludwigshafen / Germany; www.basf.com) thermal and processing stabiliser “Irgastab”, plastics producer Lotte Chemical (Seoul / South Korea; www.lottechem.com) has produced PP required for medical applications. The material has further been applied to LDS (low dead space) syringes being made by an unnamed manufacturer in South Korea. LDS syringes are designed to minimise the amount of a drug left in the device after the injection is administered, which reduces vaccine waste.

Hermann Althoff, senior VP for performance chemicals in Asia-Pacific at BASF, said, “Irgastab provides processing stability without discoloration to polypropylene during compounding and injection moulding, which is vital for LDS syringes as the materials need to be certified for high-clarity.”

With the need for syringes growing exponentially due to Covid-19 vaccination drives, Lotte says it is currently planning to expand the development of special PP materials. Kang Kyung-Bo, head of the company’s R&D centre, said, “Due to its good performance in terms of colour retention and transparency, we are assessing the possibility of expanding the use of Irgastab to fibres and sheets.”