Eastman

Swedish medical technology company CYTO365 and Eastman worked together to create a new medical component for infusion therapy that lowers patient risk.

CYTO365’s founder and CEO Micael Törnblom noticed that, with current infusion treatment, medical professionals could unintentionally mix incompatible drugs during infusion therapy. To help prevent that, the company developed RondelO^™, a turn valve with multiple inlets that stops unintentional mixing. It can connect six drugs, which are given one at a time with flushing fluids in between.

This turn valve is considered revolutionary because it supports back-to-back drug infusion through the same device. But the CYTO365 team knew it would need durable, safe material that supports accurate molding and is crystal clear.

The CYTO365 team met Eastman business development manager Theo Wuebbels in 2019 at a medical technology trade fair. Having liked what they saw and heard, CYTO365 leaders turned to him and Eastman for help. Eastman’s technical support team incorporated Eastman Tritan™ copolyester, which helped create an accurate mold without cracks.

“We want to support medical professionals through safe and reliable medical equipment,” Törnblom said. “But to help them, the material must be lipid-resistant and crack-free to oncology drugs, so we needed a copolyester and innovation partner we could trust. That's why we chose Eastman.”

Eastman performed simulation testing for material degradation and mold filling with Tritan. The technical support team worked with CYTO365 to identify a mold-drying process.

“One of Eastman’s greatest strengths is our hands-on, collaborative approach to personalized solutions,” Wuebbels said. “Our technical support team worked directly with CYTO365. We were involved from an early phase of product development to align on design, material selection and tool development. We evaluated their exact needs and even shortened their time to market with a device that was safe and durable.”

RondelO became commercially available to IV manufacturers in 2023. The design includes a visual and haptic “click” position for each drug for easy identification. It is available in two-, four- and six-port options.

“Tritan really lives up to both our expectations and our customers’ expectations,” Törnblom said. “RondelO can be the physical barrier we intended for infusion therapy, and Tritan has helped us make it a trusted device for medical professionals. The precision this copolyester brings to our device is truly innovative and revolutionary.”

Eastman

Eastman

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2023 revenue of approximately $9.2 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA.

About Eastman in the circular economy: In 2019, Eastman became the first company to begin commercial-scale chemical recycling for a broad set of waste plastics that would otherwise be landfilled or, worse, wind up in the environment. Eastman's molecular recycling technologies can process waste plastics traditional mechanical recycling methods cannot—including polyesters, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene—derived from a variety of sources, including single-use plastics, textiles, and carpet. These technologies provide a true circular solution of endless recycling for materials, allowing them to be reused repeatedly.

To learn more about how we’re working to make a more circular economy visit eastman.eco.

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