Vytex Natural Rubber Latex Evaluation Trials Begin

ATLANTA -- Vystar Corporation announces that leading manufacturers from the medical, industrial, consumer and foam industries have signed agreements to begin evaluation trials on Vytex Natural Rubber Latex (NRL).

Vytex NRL has been chemically modified to reduce the allergenic properties commonly found in traditional NRL. Published data indicate that up to 6 percent of the general public and 18 percent of healthcare workers have some level of latex allergy.

Vystar began shipping Vytex NRL in late February to leading surgical and exam glove, condom, sponge, medical device and mattress manufacturers in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

There is truly global interest in Vytex NRL, said Vystar president and chief operating officer William R. Doyle. Vytex NRL has been in development since 2002. Last year we completed months of successful production trials at a top Malaysian latex processing plant where we consistently demonstrated repeatable results run after run. These production runs yielded a commercially viable latex source that is significantly reduced in the antigenic proteins that can cause latex allergy.

Doyle described the evaluation trial process as significant. This is where manufacturers work with Vytex NRL within their own production environment to assess performance in their products and applications. In earlier trials with select condom, glove and other medical device manufacturers, we have found that Vytex NRL integrates seamlessly into most manufacturing processes in place of either NRL or synthetic substitutes with few to no changes to the overall process. We expect manufacturers trialing Vytex NRL will have no problems substituting Vytex NRL in their production lines, Doyle said.

The development of Vytex NRL is a potential advantage for manufacturers as diverse as the makers of balloons, surgical and examination gloves, medical devices, foam mattresses, adhesives, infant supplies and threads. It is particularly critical to the healthcare industry, where such a high percentage of workers are affected by some level of latex allergy believed to be caused by repeated exposure to latex with high levels of antigenic proteins.

Source: Vystar Corporation