solvay_live243_p02a04 somEdito

Dossier
102069
36
PVC PACKING PVC, NO MORE WASTE ISSUE,
EASIER FOR THE CUSTOMER
THE IDEA IS IN THE BAG
SolvayInnovationTrophy2006
It all started off with a simple idea: why not
pack PVC in PVC rather than in polyethylene
(PE) bags? The idea gradually grew into an
ambition: to produce a quality that is at least
equivalent to that of PE, sufficiently resistant to
be used in the FFS (Form Fill and Seal) bagging
units while at the same time smartening the
appearance of the transport pallets. To do so,
three obstacles had to be overcome:
• it was necessary to find an industrial partner
with experience in the production
and marketing of plastic bags;
• a product had to be developed to meet
the required technical specifications;
• the PVC bags had to be tested in extreme
climatic conditions.
In partnership with the Italian company Eurosak,
a first formula was developed. It immediately
revealed the qualities of the product: mechanical
resistance, resistance to friction during transport,
good ageing properties and an attractive cost.
Only the extreme cold posed a problem. Then,
within the framework of a research programme,
each of these characteristics was evaluated
and the recipe improved. New tests conducted
in Italy confirmed the high resistance
of the improved formula in a broad range
of temperatures. The project promoters
are therefore confident about its long-term
development, even if a few modifications (made
necessary by everyday use) still need to be
applied. We should add that the PVC bags make
a significant contribution to the realisation
of the Vinyls 2010 recycling objectives.
> Carmelo Ricci; Gérard Bozzi; Roland Keusch;
Stéphane Metzler; Harald Stockmann.
> SBU VINYLS
104777
AN INTERACTIVE LEARNING WORKSHOP
FOR FAMILY PHYSICIANS DESIGNED TO TEACH
INTRA-ARTICULAR INJECTIONS
A QUADRUPLE WINNER
The idea is to hold a one-day interactive
session to teach family physicians how
to correctly perform intra-articular injections.
As this is not part of their general training,
the general physicians send their patients
to be treated by specialists.
The training sessions, run by a specialist,
would begin with a theoretical course
on osteoarthritis and the various available
treatment options, including Pennsaid.
Then, practical injection work on models
would be performed by the doctors
themselves. This kind of training would
be a winning formula in four respects:
• the status of the family doctor would be
enhanced thanks to an additional know-how
that would ultimately benefit his patients;
• the patient is given immediate treatment
and develops an additional relationship
with his family doctor;
• the healthcare system is unburdened
of relatively minor interventions;
• Solvay Pharmaceuticals has, along
with the family doctors, more opportunities
to prescribe Pennsaid, the treatment
of choice for these pathologies.
> Kimberley Colbert.
> PHARMACEUTICALS SECTOR