THE SUCCESSFUL PROGRESS OF PVC IN THE MEDICAL SECTOR CONTINUES UNABATED

A NEW VINYL CHLORIDE COPOLYMER PREVENTS THROMBOSES ANDPOTENTIALLY SAVES LIVES

Marl, Germany 21. 2. 2003 (PROTEXT/ots) - A major healthrisk for patients undergoing heart bypass surgery or blooddialysis is blood clotting (thrombose) occurring in all kind oftubings through which blood is circulated. This difficulty can beat present avoided only by treating the patient with high dosesof heparin, a procedure in itself not exempt of dangers.

VESTOLIT GmbH & Co. KG, a well-known European PVC producerlocated in Marl, Germany, has after intensive research succeededin developing a vinyl chloride copolymer which in laboratorytests exhibits remarkable anti-coagulant properties. "We areconfident that this invention will further consolidate the pre-eminent position of PVC in medical applications," said RobertBornhofen, CEO of VESTOLIT, on signing a licence agreementassigning to Teknor Apex, a US company of Pawtucket, RI,exclusive world-wide rights for processing and marketing the newproduct.

According to the American company, medical devices based onthis material will be available on the market in less than twoyears. "We are proud to have found in Teknor Apex a partnerwhich enjoys an excellent reputation in the field of medicalcompounding," Bornhofen added.

VESTOLIT has always been an innovative company, with apreference for more specialized PVC products and constantly onthe quest for new, unconventional vinyl chloride-basedmaterials. An epitome ot this endeavour is the cooperation withProf. Marcel Jozefowicz, then of the University Paris-Nord, onblood- compatible copolymers with antithrombic properties.Jozefowicz has discovered that certain random copolymers showheparin-like properties. The development by VESTOLIT of the newresin relies on this principle.

VESTOLIT GmbH & Co. KG is an important European producer ofPVC. Located in Marl, northwestern Germany, within the frameworkof a large industrial complex (Chemiepark Marl), the company hasan annual capacity of 350,000 metric tons. Although it may notbelong to the largest PVC manufacturers world-wide, VESTOLIT hasbeen highly successful due to a combination of two factors:

- VESTOLIT operates Europe's largest, fully integrated PVCmanufacturing facility. From chlorine through monomer synthesisto vinyl chloride polymerization, all of the steps of PVCproduction are performed in Marl. This integration is one of thekey factors of the company's profitability.

- VESTOLIT has always been an innovative company with apreference for more specialized products. Thus, VESTOLIT ismarket leader in the field of PVC materials for window frameprofiles, selling a proprietary high-impact graft copolymerrather than general purpose suspension PVC. For plastisolapplication the company also manufactures a wide range oftailor-made PVC types for floor- coverings, wallpapers,tarpaulins, etc.

Teknor Apex is a privately held firm, operating tenmanufacturing locations across the United States. The companyhas eight divisions and 2,400 employees. In addition to being aleading international compounder of plastics and rubbermaterials, Teknor Apex produces plasticizers and consumer goods.Its operation in Singapore (Singapore Polymer Corp.) is one ofthe largest compounders in Asia. The company's headquarters arein Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA.

The Vinyl Division of Teknor Apex is a leading manufacturerof compounds based on PVC. The Division is an internationalsupplier to automotive, construction, wire and cable, andmedical applications.

ots Original Text Service: VESTOLIT GmbH & Co. KG Internet:http://www.presseportal.de

Volker Hilbt PR & Communications + 49 23 65/49-52 16volker.hilbt@infracor.de

Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug"PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to bepublished under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial serviceproviding distribution of press releases from clients, who areidentified in the text of Protext reports and who bear fullresponsibility for their contents. PROTEXT