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Innvol Medical India Ltd (IMIL) will start commercial production at its plant to manufacture PVC blood bags by the end of this month. Speaking to newspersons, Mr AC Karthikeyan, Managing Director, said that in the first phase, the company would manufacture single to quadruple bloodbags. In the second phase, intravenous sets would be manufactured by March 2000. In the third phase, scheduled to begin by November 2000, plasma fractionation sets will be prepared.

According to him, the company aims at marketing 1.5 million bags by March 2000, which is expected to bring in Rs.7.5 crores. The global demand is around 70 million

Mr Karthikeyan said the company is making the bags by moulding them using the radio frequency method from imported medical quality PVC sheets. According to him, the investment in the second phase will be $300,000 for acquiring the moulds. This will come through the promoter’s contribution and from internal accruals. For the third phase the investment is expected to be $10 millions, for which the financial institution will also be tapped.

Abstract from relevant notifications are as follows:

The excise duty on medical equipments falling under headings No.90.18, 90.19 and Sub-headings Nos.9021.90 and 9022.10 is reduced from 8% to Nil.

The exemptions for specified life saving or sight saving equipment and for parts of hearing aids used captively in the manufacture of hearing aids of heading No.90.21 are continued.

The rate of duty on Generic Allopathic medicine (Sub-heading No.3003.20) and patent 2 proprietary Ayurvedic Unani, Homeopathic or Bio-chemic medicines (sub-heading No.3003.39) is increased from 8% to 16%.

Terumo Penpol, the joint venture company between Terumo Corporation, Japan and Peninsular Polymers Ltd launched its first product Terumo Penpol blood bags recently. According to the company, the blood bags has advanced features like gas permeability and finely embossed inner surface to ensure proper preservation of red cells. The high frequency weld sealing has been incorporated to ensure that the bags do not burst even when centrifuged at high speed.

Terumo Penpol Blood Bags selected against many for Gujarat Government Hospitals

The Gujarat High Court in a recent ruling held that the commercial bids/rates of the products is important but when there is a question of life saving products like blood collection bags, the quality should not be compromised at any cost.

Inthis case, the report of acceptability of samples of individual companies prepared by a team of seven expert pathologists indicated that so far as 350 ml. blood collection bags is concerned, the sample of Peninsula Polymers alone was found acceptable and that of others were not accepted.

Medtronic sets up graft unit in Baroda for 100% export

MNCs eat into domestic surgical players’ share

Innvol Medical to begin commercial production