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Understanding the structural and chemical properties of various types of silicones may give manufacturers a much-needed boost in choosing drug-delivery materials. Drug-delivery systems are some of the most rapidly proliferating products in healthcare today, with the implantable-systems market growing at a double-digit clip. As pharmaceutical companies look for additional patent protections and seek to improve patient compliance, novel delivery methods are now part of the product strategy. Medical device industry manufacturers and their suppliers are in a unique position to leverage their expertise to provide delivery technologies. From system design to the materials used to build those systems, the medical device industry has already addressed many of the challenges the pharmaceutical industry faces as it develops drug-delivery systems. Silicones, for example, are widely used materials in the medical device industry. These materials have a long history in medical devices and offer drug-delivery product engineers versatility and biocompatibility. A silicone system can also be tailored to fit a specific application. Already, manufacturers of drug-delivery devices are incorporating silicones in products that require a matrix, whereby the device is then capable of elution or ion release of an active additive or component. This article discusses the chemical properties of silicone systems, which are the key to silicone’s flexibility and use in drug-delivery systems. Healthcare Applications. Silicones expanded into healthcare and medical applications in the 1950s after extensive use in the aerospace industry in the previous decade. Within 20 years, a considerable body of work established that silicone oils and cross-linked siloxane systems did not give rise to harmful consequences when performing subcutaneous, intracutaneous, and intramuscular administrations. In 1954, J. D. B. McDougall reported the cultures of various tissues of warm-blooded animals known to be extraordinarily sensitive to foreign influences showed no deviation from the usual growth pattern on contact with liquid, semisolid, and
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Products & Services
Medical Tubing
Medical tubing is made from a variety of materials and is typically sterilized and small in diameter. Glass, metal, plastic, and rubber silicone tubing are used in a variety of medical applications.
Silicone Adhesives and Sealants
Silicone adhesives and sealants have a high degree of flexibility and a very high temperature resistance (up to 600° F), but lack the strength of other epoxy or acrylic resins.
Foil Tapes
Foil tapes utilize a metal-film carrier to enhance thermal/electrical conductivity, abrasion resistance, and EMI/RFI shielding, while retaining the physical properties typical of adhesive tape. Metal carriers also allow an aggressive adhesive to be applied, which are occasionally laced with conductive granules like silver or graphite.
Stability Chambers and Rooms
Stability chambers and stability rooms are temperature-controlled and humidity-controlled environmental units that provide stable conditions for storage and testing purposes.
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Merryweather Foam, Inc. - Custom Engineered Medical Foam Parts Solutions
Major medical and healthcare product manufacturers have long turned to the fabrication professionals at Merryweather Foam, Inc. to provide custom foam solutions for many and varied applications. (read more)
Merryweather Foam, Inc. - MEDICAL FOAM-HEALTH CARE APPLICATIONS
Foam Solutions for Healthcare Applications-Medical If you have a current or future need for medical foam, Merryweather Foam, Inc. has been fabricating foam parts for the medical industry for many... (read more)
Advanced Engineered Systems, Inc. - Medical Device Assembly Equipment
From Proof of Principal machines to high speed fully automated lines, Advanced Engineered Systems, Inc. can provide you with solutions to all of your medical device assembly needs. (read more)
JAMAK Fabrication USA - Antimicrobial Silicone Tubing
Jamak Healthcare Technologies manufactures antimicrobial silicone tubing in an ISO Class 8 (Class 100,000) cleanroom environment. Silicone typically offers greater chemical resistance than organic... (read more)
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