Celanese presents EVA polymer for drug-delivery applications at scientific meeting

Global technology and specialty materials company Celanese Corp. (Dallas, TX) will highlight its ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) material for drug-delivery applications at the upcoming 2016 Controlled Release Society (CRS) Annual Meeting and Exposition. 

VitalDose EVA is a versatile polymer used in delivering controlled-release medications with varying routes of administration, including subcutaneous drug-delivery implants. The customizable material meets the growing needs of the industry, according to Celanese, as pharmaceutical companies look to create new routes of administration to improve efficacy and increase patient compliance.

“There’s more to pharmaceuticals than the drug itself. A reliable and safe method for releasing certain medications is critical to the medication's effectiveness,” said Kelsey Achenbach, Strategic Marketing Manager for EVA polymers at Celanese. “We have poured decades of experience into engineering VitalDose EVA so manufacturers have a customizable polymer that gives them the flexibility to develop controlled-release devices that can be used for external or subcutaneous applications.”

Celanese engineers designed VitalDose EVA with properties that allow manufacturers to customize the release rate of drugs used in implantable drug-delivery devices. This copolymer blends well with other polymers so it can be used alone or with other excipients or additives to achieve the desired release rate. Pharmaceutical companies use VitalDose EVA in a wide range of drug delivery applications including transdermal, subcutaneous, ocular, intravaginal, intraoral and rectal, reports Celanese.

At the annual CRS meeting in Seattle, WA, on July 17 to 20, a Celanese pharmaceutical product expert will deliver a poster presentation—“Low-Temperature Hot-Melt Extrusion Processability of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Copolymers as Pharmaceutical”—that explains how processing techniques can affect pharmaceutical mechanical properties and potentially impede processability. The presentation is scheduled for July 18; see poster #213 on the event website for the time.