Medical textiles

A durable, washable fabric made from continuous polyamide (PA) filaments containing silver ions that inhibit the growth of viruses and bacteria can be used to make face masks, garments and buffs to

A Finnish company claims to have developed a long-lasting surface treatment capable of killing the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suominen Corp has developed a fabric that the company claims passes the European standard for the filtration efficiency and pressure drop specified for the manufacture of certain surgical masks.

A leading manufacturer of nonwovens specialising in serving the healthcare and hygiene markets has committed to four new projects to increase its capacity significantly.

Berry Global Group Inc of Evansville, Indiana, USA, is to produce its meltblown nonwovens (Meltex) for the first time in South America.

Beaulieu Fibres International will introduce a bicomponent fibre for soft cushioned hygiene nonwovens at Index20, which is scheduled to be

A dressing for absorbing exudate from a wound is disclosed by IWMT Intellectual Property Holdings of Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

A compression-type bandage that also acts as a splint is described in US Patent 9 987 186 by Allie Lynch, a licensed practical nurse from St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.

A cosmetic cover for lining a prosthesis has been developed by Otto Bock HealthCare of Duderstadt, Germany.

A surgical implant that reduces the need for suturing, and can be handled during a surgical procedure easily, quickly and safely, is disclosed by Johnson & Johnson Medical of Norderstedt, Germa

DSM Biomedical is employing a novel braiding technology to incorporate its medical-grade ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibres into medical devices, such as surgical sutures.

An antioxidant wound dressing material that provides controlled release of a wound-healing therapeutic compound when placed in contact with a wound fluid is described in US Patent 9 687 581 by KCI

A device for adaptively controlling the environment of a wound, as conditions in and around the wound site change, to promote optimal healing is disclosed in US Patent 9 681 990 by researchers from

Researchers at the Taiwan Textile Research Institute of Tucheng, Taipei, Taiwan, have developed a wound dressing that offers superior moisture-retention, antibacterial, wound-healing and scar-remov

Hydrogel wound dressings that exhibit reduced fibre loss during use have been developed by KCI USA. 

A wound dressing for managing would fluids is disclosed in US Patent 9 517 164 by Covidien.

Disposable diapers comprising breathable elements made of low-cost nonwoven webs with improved barrier properties are disclosed by Procter & Gamble.

A novel monofilament suture that offers improved knot security and flexibility is disclosed in US Patent 9 393 343 by Samyang Biopharmaceuticals.

Continuing rises in the incidences of chronic diseases (including diabetes, heart disease, cancer and respiratory disorders) and ageing populations around the world, as well as increases in the num

A method for increasing the skin or wound compatibility of a hygiene or wound care product that includes a cellulose nonwoven fabric is disclosed by BSN Medical in US Patent 9 387 130.

Customized alginate derived from cultivated bacteria has been used to create fibre-based materials in a project funded by the German Government.

The F.O.S. Group, a filtration technology specialist from Ahlen, Germany, has launched an improved air permeability tester model that could be used for testing of medical and hygiene textiles.

Colombian hygiene products producer Productos Familia, of which SCA owns 50% of the shares, has been found guilty in an anti-trust inquiry related to tissue products conducted by the Colombian comp

USA-based consumer products giant Kimberly-Clark has expanded its manufacturing facilities in Singapore with the addition of three new production lines making Huggies baby wipes and diaper pants.

Spain’s competition and markets authority has levied a total of nearly €130 million in fines on seven manufacturers of absorbent adult incontinence products doing business in the Spanish market.

AGC Chemicals  Americas has developed  AsahiGuard  AG-E600, a perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)-free repellent with improved environmental and biological profiles.

Japan-based household and consumer product maker Oji Holdings has begun production on a new baby diaper line in Malaysia that will produce 10 million pieces a month to satisfy domestic and regional

Needle-free Nanopatch technology developed at the University of Queensland (UQ)’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology has been used to successfully deliver an inactivated pol

London, UK-based distribution and outsourcing group Bunzl is to acquire two German incontinence product businesses, Mohage and Inkozell.

TissueGen, the developer of a bioresorbable fibre (Elute) that can deliver drugs and medicines in a controlled manner after implantation in a patient, says it has won certification to the Internati

Demand for disposable medical supplies in the USA is forecast to rise by 4.2% annually to US$54.1 billion in 2019.

Researchers in Finland have developed a wearable technology that controls the thermal behaviour of smart clothing.

Ontex of Zele, Belgium, a producer of personal hygiene products for babies and adults, has completed the acquisition of Grupo P.I. Mabe of Puebla, Mexico.

Researchers based in South Korea have demonstrated that a pigment produced by naturally occurring bacteria is an effective anti-bacterial agent when used to dye fabric.

Research by Nottingham Trent University, in collaboration with Copenhagen/San Francisco-based Siren Care, has led to the development of electronic smart socks that inform users of the early signs o

Hygiene products maker Ontex and hygiene equipment manufacturer Fameccanica say they have amicably settled a patent dispute concerning Fameccanica’s European Patent EP 1355604-B1 and all of its equ

Hygiene and forest products group SCA is integrating its business in South East Asia, Taiwan and South Korea into Chinese hygiene company Vinda, in which SCA is the majority shareholder.

Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and DuPont have signed licence and collaboration agreements to commercialize a garment to help protect those working in regions where there are outbreaks of infectiou

The global compression therapy market is expected to reach a value of US$3.96 billion by 2022, according to a new report* by Grand View Research. 

What is claimed as the world’s first designer incontinence lingerie collection was launched by Confitex at the New Zealand Fashion Week in Auckland, New Zealand, in August 2015.

Christoph Michalski, President of SCA Global Hygiene Category, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vinda International Holdings.

Messe Frankfurt (HK) is launching a new initiative to facilitate nonwovens fabric suppliers’ expansion into China, where imports of such products increased by 128% from 2000 to 2013.

Advanced dressings are a steadily growing segment of the wound care industry, with many companies marketing a wide variety of formats.

Airospring Medical has been awarded a patent for new technology in its range of pressure-relieving devices following six years of academic research at the UK’s University of Bolton.

According to a new study from Life Science Intelligence, the USA, European, Asia-Pacific and rest-of-world (ROW) markets for surgical drapes, gowns, gloves, masks and fluid-management products are

After two years of research and development (R&D), medical apparel supplier Medelita has launched a new collection of men’s and women’s laboratory coats with a “dual-effect” technology.

SCA is to invest around SEK650 million (US$76 million) in a new production facility in Jarinu, Brazil, for the manufacture of incontinence products.

TissueGen Inc has appointed Dr Jennifer Seifert as Senior Scientist with the responsibility of leading the company's research into the use of its medical fibres in the treatment of spinal cord and

For patients who have suffered irreparable damage to internal organs or body tissue, donor organs or synthetic implants are usually the only treatment option. 

Swiss Textiles (the Swiss Textile Federation) and Empa – Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science & Technology launched the Subitex: Sustainable Biomedicine Textiles research i