Noveon, UICT organise seminar on Carbopol polymer

EPP News Bureau - Mumbai

Noveon and the Pharmaceutical Division of the Mumbai University Institute of Chemical Technology (MUICT) jointly organised a seminar on Carbopol — a versatile polymer. The seminar was held at MUICT (formerly UDCT), Mumbai in January 2004.

Noveon Inc is a global producer of specialty polymers, polymer based formulations and chemical additives for consumer and industrial products having annual sales of approximately $1.1 billion. Carbopol range of polymers have a variety of applications in the pharmaceutical and the personal care industry. Carbopol polymers were first described in scientific literature in 1955.

Today, Noveon Inc’s Carbopol polymers, Noveon polycarbophils and Pemulen polymeric emulsifiers are ingredients in pharmaceutical dosage systems of almost every form — from controlled release tablets to oral suspensions to novel delivery systems, as well as a variety of topical products.

Prof Padma V Devarajan enlightened the purpose of the seminar and introduced guest speakers Sushobhan Kr Dutta (Business Development Manager, Personal Care and Pharmaceutical - South Asia), Kedar Chikhalikar (Business Development Manager, Pharmaceuticals) and Satish Moorkath (Business Development Manager, Pharmaceuticals).

Prof K G Akamanchi, Head, Pharma Division threw light on need of interaction between industry and academia and the paramount importance of such relationship.

Dutta in his address gave brief history of Noveon, growth, business portfolio and history of Carbopol polymers. Apart form this, he introduced the recently launched polymers namely Carbopol Aqua SF1 Polymer, Novemer EC-1 Polymer and Fixate G-100 polymer and their applications in personal care.

Moorkath talked about rheological aspects and importance of yield value and emphasised the usefulness of Carbopol polymers in liquid and semisolid dosage forms for Topical applications. Chikhalikar focused on the use of Carbopol in pharmaceuticals for oral dosage forms such as controlled release oral solids, oral liquids, ophthalmics and NDDS like transdermal, mucoadhesives, osmotic salts and iontophoretics.

The seminar was lucid, interesting and an eye-opener which provided thorough knowledge about Carbopol starting from its chemistry, rheological aspects, use in pharmaceuticals and strategies to optimise formulations.