BASF Supplies Plastic Additives for COVID-19 Vaccine Syringes to Lotte Chemical

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoonju Hwang] BASF will supply plastic additives necessary for the production of medical polypropylene (PP) to Lotte Chemical. As global COVID-19 vaccination expands, the demand for syringes made of polypropylene is increasing, leading to a rise in sales of related chemical products.

BASF announced on the 3rd that it will supply the plastic additive 'Igastep' to Lotte Chemical.

Lotte Chemical produces medical PP, which is the raw material for syringes. Lotte Chemical's medical PP is applied to the minimum dead space (LDS) syringes developed by domestic medical syringe manufacturers. These special syringes are designed to minimize the residual drug volume left in the syringe after administration, significantly reducing the amount of vaccine wasted compared to regular syringes. As a result, using minimum dead space syringes can increase the number of people vaccinated by about 20% with the same amount of vaccine compared to regular syringes, creating strong global demand.

Plastics used for medical purposes require sterilization, which causes polymer degradation and discoloration. With the explosive increase in demand for syringes for COVID-19 vaccination expected, Lotte Chemical is expanding the development of special polypropylene materials.

Hermann Althoff, Head of BASF's Performance Chemicals Division in the Asia-Pacific region, explained, "Igastep ensures that medical polypropylene is safe and suitable for use," adding, "This is very important for minimum dead space syringes that require high transparency certification."