Solvay Participates in 4th China International Medical Device Regulatory Forum

Solvay Specialty Polymers, a leading global supplier of high-performance thermoplastics for implantable and non-implantable medical devices, has announced its participation in the 4th China International Medical Device Regulatory (CIMDR) Forum scheduled for September 11-13, 2013, in X’ian, China. The company will exhibit at the event and Solvay Specialty Polymers’ Shawn Shorrock, Global Market Manager for Healthcare and Director of Global Regulatory Affairs, will deliver a technical presentation on high-performance medical polymers offered for use in implantable and non-implantable applications.

Solvay also announced that Dr Maureen Reitman, a Principal and the Director of the Polymer Science and Materials Chemistry Practice at Exponent, an international engineering and scientific consulting firm based in Menlo Park, California, will give a structure-property overview on polyetheretherketone (PEEK) resin for medical device uses.

Shorrock, who is co-chairman of the conference’s Orthopaedics and Surgical Devices Forum, will discuss the range of Solvay’s high-performance medical plastics. The presentation will evaluate the key decision criteria utilised in selecting the appropriate plastic for a variety of end-use requirements and provide an in-depth discussion of the performance capabilities of specific grades.

“We look forward to our participation in the CIMDR Forum because it provides an opportunity to examine new issues, exchange information, and directly communicate with medical device regulatory bodies across geographic regions,” said Shorrock. “Our involvement demonstrates our strong commitment to the growing Chinese medical device market and helps us further support our customers.”

Shorrock earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She joined Solvay in 2000 and has worked in the medical market since 2004. In 2007, she led Solvay Specialty Polymers’ entrance into the biomaterials market with the launch of the Solviva Biomaterials trademark. In her role with Solvay, she works closely with customers as well as testing agencies, regulatory bodies, and all other aspects of the supply chain to support the use of polymers in demanding healthcare applications.

Dr Reitman will discuss the similarities and differences in properties of commercially available PEEK resins used in the manufacture of medical devices with an emphasis on the effect of processing, synthetic route, and thermal history on their structure and properties. This structure-property overview will offer broader perspective and a clear understanding of the expected performance of commercially relevant PEEK resins.

“CIMDR provides an opportunity to speak to a global audience about the structure-property relationship of commercially available medical PEEK resins in a way that will not only increase their footprint in medical applications, but will also facilitate the adoption of these novel materials to highly specialised uses,” said Dr Reitman.

As a consultant at Exponent, Reitman assists clients with the development, evaluation, and improvement of products and processes that involve plastics, rubbers, and other polymeric materials. Reitman earned her bachelor of science in material science and engineering and her doctor of science in polymer science and technology at MIT. She worked in both product and technology development at 3M as a researcher, inventor, and manager of a division materials laboratory before joining Exponent. Reitman is experienced in major aspects of product development, including materials selection, end-use testing, service life prediction, failure analysis, certification procedures, and intellectual property. She recently authored a chapter in the PEEK Biomaterials Handbook entitled “Morphology and Crystalline Architecture of Polyarylketones.”

The CIMDR conference, organised by the China Center for Pharmaceutical International Exchange (CCPIE), seeks to boost communications between companies and governments as well as among companies themselves, and drive the application of new technical standards and technological achievements to further improve safety and effectiveness of medical devices.