Solvay Advanced Polymers announced today at the K-Show the launch of its Solviva™ family of biomaterials offered for use in implantable medical devices. No other supplier has more polymers available for use in implantable applications than Solvay Advanced Polymers with its Solviva line of biomaterials.

Solviva Biomaterials are comprised of:
· Zeniva™ PEEK (polyetheretherketone) – one of the most chemically resistant plastics available, exhibiting high strength and stiffness along with excellent toughness and fatigue resistance
· Proniva™ SRP (self-reinforced polyphenylene) – the stiffest and strongest unreinforced thermoplastic available, offering exceptional chemical resistance and hardness
· Veriva™ PPSU (polyphenylsulfone) – offers unsurpassed toughness combined with transparency and excellent chemical resistance
· Eviva™ PSU (polysulfone) – offers practical toughness in a strong, transparent polymer.

“We are very proud to leverage our technology in creating this family of products,” commented Roger Kearns, President & CEO of Solvay Advanced Polymers. “The ability to supply our customers with biomaterials that are the foundation for products that may help to extend and improve the quality of life in critical healthcare applications is tremendously rewarding. We look forward to a successful rollout and further enhancement to our line in the near future.”

The launch of Solviva Biomaterials is the culmination of more than 18 months of planning and extensive investments by Solvay Advanced Polymers in its production facilities, biocompatibility testing and the installation of one of the industry’s most stringent production processes. Specifically, those efforts include meeting the relevant aspects of the current Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines of the Food & Drug Administration’s 21CFR Part 820 Quality Systems Requirements and ensuring manufacturing operations are in compliance with relevant aspects of the ISO 13485 Quality
Management System for the manufacture of medical devices.

“We have invested a considerable amount of resources into ensuring that the Solviva biomaterials line meets or exceeds the critical regulations required of a supplier,” explained Shawn Shorrock, Global Market Manager, Healthcare for Solvay Advanced Polymers.

Solvay Advanced Polymers’ heritage as a supplier to the healthcare industry goes back more than three decades, and today includes widespread use of its ultra and highperformance polymers for orthopedic applications, cases and trays, medical devices and dental instruments. The company’s sulfone polymers are also used globally in the manufacture of membranes for kidney dialysis.

Solvay Advanced Polymers is currently in active product trials for its line of Solviva biomaterials with several medical device manufacturers including worldwide leader, Zimmer® Medical (www.zimmer.com). For more information on the Solviva line of biomaterials, visit www.solvivabiomaterials.com.

About Solvay Advanced Polymers
Solvay Advanced Polymers, LLC produces more plastics with more performance than any other company in the world. This gives design engineers worldwide more ways to solve top design challenges in automotive, healthcare, electronics, aerospace and other demanding industries. Learn more about the full line of Solvay Advanced Polymers’ SolvaSpire family of ultra polymers at  www.solvayadvancedpolymers.com.

SOLVAY is an international industrial Group active in Chemistry. It offers a broad range of products and solutions that contribute to improving quality of life. The Group is headquartered in Brussels and employs about 19,000 people in 50 countries. In 2009, its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 8.5 billion. Solvay is listed on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Brussels (NYSE Euronext: SOLB.BE - Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLBt.BR). Details are available at www.solvay.com.