Plastics Companies Join to Provide PVC-Free Medical Bags

A year ago, Genesis Plastics Welding and Teknor Apex announced PVC-free manufactured medical bags and pouches. Now, O’Sullivan Films joins good company to offer medical device, equipment and supplies companies a medical grade, PVC-free film.

Based in Winchester, Va., O’Sullivan produces medical grade films used in the healthcare industry. The company is now able to mass-produce United States Pharmacopeial class I-VI film using Teknor Apex’s Medalist medical elastomers. This film, using Genesis’ proprietary ecoGenesis technology, can be radio frequency welded using no additives or adhesives to manufacture a variety of medical supplies and equipment, including fluid delivery, storage and drainage bags.

“While PVC still has its place in many industries and applications, eliminating or reducing PVC in the healthcare sector is a major focus for many hospitals and healthcare systems,” said Tom Ryder, president and CEO of Genesis Plastics Welding. “With the collaboration of our companies, hospital groups such as those that have recently joined the Healthier Hospitals Initiative can now provide patients with PVC-free medical bags, thereby reducing potential exposure to dioxins.”

The Healthier Hospitals Initiative is a national campaign to implement a new approach to improving environmental health and sustainability in the healthcare sector.

“Medalist medical elastomers offer manufacturers of fluid delivery, storage and drainage bags several important advantages over widely used PVC,” said Elliott Pritikin, senior medical market manager for Teknor Apex’s thermoplastic elastomer division. “Besides being free of halogens and phthalates, Medalist elastomers are available at lower hardness ranges, provide a broader processing window, exhibit greater elasticity and superior low-temperature flexibility, have a wider range of service temperatures, and save weight because of their lower density. Like PVC, Medalist elastomers are available in fully transparent grades.”

O’Sullivan films are made from raw materials approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, manufactured under current good manufacturing practice and meet ISO 13485 standards.

Fortville, Ind.-based Genesis Plastics Welding is a contract manufacturing company that specializes in radio frequency plastics welding of thermoplastic products.

Teknor Apex Company is a diversified plastics compounder based in Pawtucket, R.I.