A. Hopf and Eastman Chemical Team for New Component Technology

Some of the best things in life are characterized by perfect pairings—wine and cheese, chocolate and peanut butter, coffee and cream, among infinite others.

The co-located Medica and Compamed trade shows held annually in Dusseldorf, Germany, are another example of a good match. The Medica side of the program comprises medical technology and products companies and their end-users (clinicians and other healthcare providers). The Compamed side includes the manufacturing and engineering firms and suppliers that help device companies bring their ideas to market.

During the Medica/Compamed week (Nov. 14-17), a number of medtech’s perfect pairings are showcased. Among them this year was a project involving Germany’s A. Hopf GmbH and Kingsport, Tenn.-based Eastman Chemical Company—a project that brought together two companies from the supplier side of the manufacturing equation.

A. Hopf GmbH, a mold maker and provider of injection molding based in Zirndorf, Germany, expanded its portfolio of medical device components with a new line of three-way stopcocks and Y-connectors for use in enteral feeding systems (enteral feeding is the delivery of a nutritionally complete feed, containing protein, carbohydrate, fat, water, minerals and vitamins, directly into the stomach, duodenum or jejunum).

The stopcocks and Y-connectors are designed with an interconnection safety that, according to the company, prevents mix-ups between enteral and parenteral syringes. The new stopcocks and Y-connectors are made with Eastman Chemical’s Tritan copolyester, a material that Eastman officials claim provides toughness, chemical resistance and color stability post-sterilization. Tritan, which is a new-generation copolyester, also is free of bisphenol A (BPA).

“Because of the European Union’s ban on BPA in infant care products such as soothers and feeding bottles, we decided to use Eastman Tritan copolyester for our medical devices, including those used with babies, such as the three-way stopcocks or Y-connectors,” said Michael Hopf, sales manager, A. Hopf GmbH. “Tritan provides a durable BPA-free solution, that also meets our functional and aesthetic needs.”

Hopf noted that Tritan copolyester helps to maintain a device’s shape and dimension after ethylene oxide and gamma sterilization. Additionally, chemical resistance and solvent bonding with tube systems are not affected by either procedure.

Besides enteral nutrition, the connectors also can be used for cytostatic therapy and infusion and transfusion therapy, such as blood therapy. In relation to the use of raw material, Eastman Tritan copolyester meets the demands of USP Class VI, which judges the suitability of plastic material intended for use as an accessory for parenteral preparations, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration/ISO 10993, which evaluates the biocompatibility of medical devices to help ensure patient safety.

“For A. Hopf GmbH, a great advantage of working with Eastman is its forward-thinking approach to material innovations, which has allowed us to develop products that provide improved patient safety and peace of mind,” said Hopf.