Dow unveils new medical silicone skin adhesive

Anaheim, California – Dow Medical Solutions has introduced a new soft skin adhesive that seeks to find middle ground for wear times.

The firm's MG 7-1020 is the latest addition to its portfolio of silicone adhesives designed for skin-adhered medical devices.

The product brings strong adhesion and extended wear, design and manufacturing flexibility, and avoids skin irritation and discomfort commonly found in the removal of acrylic-based adhesives.

Marie Crane, Dow's global segment leader for medical devices, said the firm developed this adhesive to cater to two different needs in the marketplace.

The company currently offers a soft skin adhesive (MG 7-9900) that's repositionable, but not designed for long-term use.

Its pressure sensitive adhesive, MG 2502, will hold its position for up to 14 days.

MG 7-1020 is the hybrid, providing manufacturers with flexibility while still giving a long-term adhesion for up to seven days.

"We really wanted something for the in-between," Crane said. "We wanted a more versatile, more robust adhesive that provides the designer more options."

Dow said its newest adhesive is ideal for wearable monitoring devices, medical tape and medical device attachments.

It's also designed to be gentle, designed for patients with delicate, compromised or sensitive skin, and will minimize irritation, sensitizing and cytotoxicity.

MG 7-1020 also has a high degree of penetration into the skin surface, which Dow said enhances conformability and patient experience. And it will not cause discomfort during removal.

Dow Medical Solutions is a business unit of DowDuPont, but will soon be completing the final phase of a long integration process between Dow, Dow Corning and DuPont.

Dow Chemical Co. bought out Corning Inc.'s share of the company's silicones joint venture Dow Corning in December 2016.

About one year later, Dow merged with DuPont Co. to form DowDuPont, which has spent the better part of the last year re-aligning itself into three independent companies — one focused on materials science, one on speciality products and the third on agriculture chemicals and seeds.

The medical unit falls under DowDuPont's Specialty Products division, which will be named DuPont. Materials Science will be named Dow and the agriculture business will be branded Corteva Agriscience.

DowDuPont will spin off these businesses in 2019, with the Dow unit set to be spun off in April and DuPont to follow in June.

Crane said the DuPont business will help Dow's legacy silicones business under the new structure.

DuPont previously didn't have any silicones under its portfolio, rather serving the medical market through drug delivery devices such as auto injectors.

Both sides will gain access to new customers as the Dow Corning silicones unit mainly serviced the long-term implantables market.