AMI's Medical Grade Polymers 2015 conference to take place in September in the US
Applied Market Information (AMI)'s Medical Grade Polymers 2015 conference will take place from September 15-16 in Boston, the US.
The conference will kick off with a review by Mark Moyer (formerly at Smith & Nephew, now with the Center for Advanced Medical Learning at USF), of how to innovate, sort out the regulatory compliance and get a new product into the healthcare market as quickly as possible.
The molder, Cequr, will follow this with an outline of manufacturing trends and market challenges for innovation.
The law firm Keller and Heckman will then give a critical outline of the key issues for material suppliers in the medical marketplace.
Manufacturing costs are being driven down by fierce market competition; it is vital to find the most efficient production technology and best components to build a viable future for the medical device industry without cutting corners.
Raumedic has focused on the design requirements and manufacturability of medical tubing for stent and balloon delivery systems, while Mack Molding has discovered several ways to cut production costs and UFP Technologies produces a number of medical foams and films used in wound care.
Massachusetts Materials Research has looked at material selection from the perspectives of manufacturing, use and interaction. Durability and life-time expectancy are highest in the orthopaedic sector: DePuy Synthes has studied the use of antioxidant-stabilized UHMWPE in implants.
Visibility on X-rays is important, particularly in some investigative procedures and PolyOne has developed translucent radio-opaque compounds. Lubrizol provides flexible thermoplastic polyurethane (PU) materials for medical applications. Cambridge Polymer Group will review the difficult process of introducing new materials to this market.
Reliable materials and clean room manufacturing processes are critical for safety in medical production. Hence a wide range of test protocols are specified by the regulatory and standards authorities, primarily the FDA and ISO, to maximize the safety of healthcare technology at source.
This includes chemical tests on the materials and devices for extractables and leachables, which could migrate out in use: Aspen Research has reviewed how to set up and conduct one of these studies.
Fresenius Kabi has recently tested an acrylate–based device, while Toxicon examines issues such as the safety and efficacy considerations of device/drug/biologic interactions.
Plasticizers leaching from vinyl materials have caused concern in the past: BASF will review the selection of these additives. Sterilization protocols and packaging can affect devices and must be carefully specified.
Device failures do occur and statutory reporting ensures that lessons are learned. Battelle has looked at some of the issues and is shedding light on some of the factors that affect material stability. Companies like Exponent undertake a range of testing and at Medical Grade Polymers 2015 they will speak on structure-property relationships in material selection.
Infection prevention is a big issue for healthcare providers who aim to eliminate the pain and costs of hospital-acquired infection; there are options in device development to incorporate antimicrobials in coatings and device surfaces. Sciessent is developing some of these antimicrobial materials.
