Clariant to exhibit in leading medical equipment expo in China

Shanghai, April 7, 2016 – Clariant, a world-leader in specialty chemicals, will take part in the China International Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF) on April 17-20, 2016 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), China. Since making its debut in 1979, the CMEF has been held twice a year in Spring and Autumn and has grown to become one of the biggest exhibitions on medical equipment and related products and services for the whole of the Asia-Pacific region.

As the healthcare industry's safety and quality standard continues to rise, the corresponding requirements on packaging solutions for pharmaceutical products are getting more specific and sophisticated. Moisture control, for instance, has become one of the leading areas for improvement on medical devices and drug containers. As a pioneer and leading solution provider in the healthcare packaging industry, Clariant has been providing a host of dedicated and innovative packaging solutions for the pharmaceutical industry worldwide.

With specialization in active materials, functional design and innovative plastic processing, Clariant creates and manufactures controlled atmosphere packaging, effectively combining sorbents with innovative features. Such packaging technologies not only protect pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and diagnostics from moisture and oxygen, but also provide optimum humidity levels for certain drugs and medical devices. In CMEF 2016, Clariant is featuring the following leading solutions.

ADP® Technology
Clariant's ADP (Advanced Desiccant Polymer) technology combines the advantages of traditional thermoplastic polymers with the benefits of advanced moisture protection. By molding desiccant directly into the plastic itself, active packaging containers and components may be customized to suit customers’ specific needs for shapes and sizes with dust-free desiccant protection built directly into the package or device.

By working directly with Clariant's experts, specific polymers can be developed with calibrated kinetics and capacities dedicated to the needs of the customers, who may choose to mold existing working device components with ADP, adding moisture adsorption on top of the component's original function to save space and cost.

EQ-PAK® and EQ-CAN®
Clariant's EQ-PAK packets and EQ-CAN canisters are specially engineered sorbents that can act as humectants (desorbers) and desiccants (adsorbers) simultaneously, maintaining a particular equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) inside product packaging. Such condition of maintaining a constant humidity is sometimes critical to the effective storage of particular drugs.

For instance, the ability of a micronized drug powder to reach optimally into a patient’s lungs when dispensed by a dry-powder inhaler (DPI) can be strongly influenced by moisture. Excessive moisture can increase adhesive or cohesive forces between particles and alter particle size distribution. Excessive dehydration, on the other hand, will increase the electrostatic charge of the particles. Both can adversely affect the fluidization of the powder when patients inhale.

The EQ line of products comply with all relevant US FDA regulations for contact with food and drugs. It is available in both packets and canisters depending on the application. Packets are ideal for DPIs or other flexible packaging applications, whereas canisters are conducive to high speed automatic insertion into pharmaceutical bottles.

HAT® Handy Active Tubes
Clariant's HAT (Handy Active Tubes) are durable, rigid containers with a convenient flip-top cap and built-in desiccant. The HAT line of flip-top tubes is an ideal vial for diagnostic test strips, as well as pharmaceuticals such as effervescent tablets, chewables and lozenges.

HAT products can utilize the ADP which embeds desiccant directly into the plastic, adsorbing excess humidity and creating a dry package environment.

"Our line of desiccant and moisture control products and solutions leverage fully our strong expertise in driving innovation in active material formulation and packaging design. Our team of experts are also able to offer their advice and provide customized solutions for our customers in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries," said Albert Zhao, Head of Sales Asia Pacific and Operation China, Clariant Healthcare Packaging.

Clariant will showcase during CMEF its full portfolio of controlled atmosphere packaging solutions at Hall 6.1, booth N55-N57. Its team of technical and customer service experts will be on hand at their booth during the four-day show to explain details of their products and help visitors find the best solutions to fulfill their needs.