Freudenberg Medical Ushers in a New Era for Hydrophilic Coatings with Launch of LUBRITEQ™

BEVERLY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 2, 2026--

Freudenberg Medical, a global contract design and manufacturing (CDMO) partner to the medical device and biopharma industry, today announced the launch of LUBRITEQ™, a new high-performance hydrophilic coating solution, along with a comprehensive suite of associated development and manufacturing services. LUBRITEQ™ is now available globally across Freudenberg Medical’s vertically integrated operations.

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With the launch of LUBRITEQ™, Freudenberg Medical becomes the only hydrophilic coating provider to unite advanced surface chemistry with deep, in-house medical device design and manufacturing capabilities—bringing together complementary technologies to enhance manufacturability and deliver greater productivity and reliability across the entire product development lifecycle.

“Hydrophilic coatings and device design must work in perfect harmony to deliver optimal performance, yet the industry has traditionally approached them as separate disciplines,” said Michael McGee, CEO of Freudenberg Medical. “As a uniquely integrated technical partner, we enable customers to move faster, with less risk and greater confidence, by combining product design, advanced materials, precision coatings, and application expertise for seamless development, scale-up, and launch.”

Built on a Deep Expertise in Surface Chemistry

Freudenberg Medical brings more than 25 years of experience in coating science, supported by a proven legacy of innovation, including expertise integrated through Hemoteq, that has enabled customers to achieve multiple industry firsts in complex drug-device and surface modification solutions.

“With more than 40 coating scientists, chemical engineers and technicians working alongside 250 medical device & catheter engineers globally, we have unparalleled expertise in developing complex chemistry and drug-device solutions for our customers,” said McGee. “We already support over one million medical devices each year for functional surface coatings, making the introduction of LUBRITEQ™, our hydrophilic coating solution, a natural evolution and logical next step aligned with our customers’ needs.”

Shaped by Customer Needs

Freudenberg Medical’s decision to enter the hydrophilic coatings market was guided by extensive engagement with customers and industry stakeholders to understand where existing solutions and partnerships can be improved, and where unmet needs continue to exist. Through these exchanges, it became clear that while coating technologies have advanced, customer needs are not being fully served—particularly when it comes to the flexibility of support services and complexities of royalties, licenses and fees.

“We heard consistent feedback that directly shaped our strategy,” said Freudenberg Medical’s Chief Commercial Officer, Keith Kiernan. “Customers aren’t just looking for a better coating—they’re looking for a better partner to de-risk their product launches. We deliberately set out to deliver a solution—and a partnership model—that reflects exactly what customers told us they need. No royalties, no rigidity—just coating performance, partnership and progress.”

Introducing LUBRITEQ™ Hydrophilic Coating & Services

LUBRITEQ™ is an advanced, UV-curable, single-step hydrophilic coating engineered for versatility and performance across a wide range of medical device applications and polymer & metal substrates. The coating delivers high lubricity with exceptional durability, consistent uniformity and ultra-low particulates. LUBRITEQ™ is customizable to optimize performance for specific device requirements and is compatible with virtually all approved materials used in medical device designs.

Recognizing that coating performance alone is not enough, Freudenberg Medical is launching LUBRITEQ™ alongside a comprehensive services model that supports customers across the full product lifecycle—from early feasibility through commercial production. Services include a rapid two-week first feasibility turnaround, tailored coating customization programs, and flexible volume-manufacturing options, including process transfer to the customer or contract coating support across Freudenberg Medical’s global site network. This integrated approach eliminates hand-offs across multiple suppliers, reducing risk and accelerating product development timelines.

Customer-First and Transparent, Commercial Model

In contrast to traditional industry practices, Freudenberg Medical is introducing a straightforward and transparent commercial model for LUBRITEQ™, designed to eliminate hidden costs and reduce program launch risk. Customers can access a high-performance hydrophilic coating solution with no royalties, no fixed or annual fees, and no regulatory file access fees.

Together, these elements remove commercial barriers and enable long-term, trust-based partnerships.

“With LUBRITEQ™, Freudenberg Medical is raising the bar for what a hydrophilic coating partner can and should be,” said CEO Michael McGee. “The early responses we’re seeing from customers confirm that we’re meeting a real need. Great technology, great service and a commercial model built on trust—that’s the standard we are setting.”

Freudenberg Medical is launching LUBRITEQ™ at MD&M West. Visit Booth 2609 to learn more about LUBRITEQ™ and discover how Freudenberg Medical is redefining what’s possible in hydrophilic coatings. Visit LUBRITEQ™ for more information.

About Freudenberg Medical

Freudenberg Medical is a trusted strategic CDMO partner to medical device and pharmaceutical companies, committed to delivering high-quality solutions from ideation to market launch and volume production. With over 2,900 associates across 12 global manufacturing sites in key MedTech hubs and proven expertise in materials and technologies, Freudenberg Medical offers an extensive range of vertically integrated capabilities: from minimally invasive solutions including complex catheters, hypotubes, steerable shafts, handles as well as drug and hydrophilic coatings to precision molding, two-shot and micro molding, advanced extrusions, and solutions for smart medical devices. www.freudenbergmedical.com

Freudenberg Medical Unveils LUBRITEQ™: A New Era in Hydrophilic Coatings

CAIRO (AP) — Before the war, the Rafah border crossing was Gaza's only gateway to the outside world not controlled by Israel. It was shuttered when Israeli troops seized it in May 2024.

On Monday, the crossing with Egypt reopened in a long-awaited step of the ceasefire deal in the two-year Israel-Hamas war. And though the reopening was mostly symbolic — only small numbers of people are allowed to cross initially — it provides a glimmer of hope for Palestinians seeking to leave the war-ravaged strip and those wishing to return home.

The Rafah crossing once bustled with goods and people. But after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking the war, Egypt tightened its restrictions.

The reopening is expected to make it easier for Palestinians from Gaza to seek medical treatment, travel internationally or visit family. The initial numbers allowed to cross, however, are limited to only 50 medical evacuees from Gaza, along with two people escorting them, while 50 Palestinians who fled Gaza during the war can return, according to Israeli and Egyptian officials.

That falls far short of the roughly 20,000 sick and wounded people Gaza’s Health Ministry says need treatment abroad and represents only a fraction of the more than 30,000 Palestinians registered in Cairo to return home, according to an embassy official, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks are ongoing.

Israeli officials have given no indication when a full reopening could happen. They've said crossing restrictions are expected to ease over time if the reopening is successful.

Convoys carrying goods will not cross at first. But once allowed, the return of trucks could help Gaza's devastated economy. Exports like Palestinian olive oil are widely sold in Egypt and throughout the Arab world.

“We hope this will close off Israel’s pretexts and open the crossing,” said Abdel-Rahman Radwan, a Gaza City resident whose mother is a cancer patient and requires treatment outside Gaza.

With much of Gaza turned to rubble, the United Nations has said the Palestinian territory’s population of over 2 million people needs a massive influx of fuel, food, medicine and tents.

How quickly the crossing can scale up operations to allow the passage of goods is likely to have a major bearing on Gaza’s reconstruction.

Also among the unknowns is the expected arrival of the new Palestinian committee of administrators appointed to govern day-to-day affairs in Gaza under the international “Board of Peace” proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The committee remains in Cairo, without Israeli authorization to enter.

Palestinians wanting to leave Gaza will have to get Israeli and Egyptian security approval. Egypt has been opposed to Palestinian refugees permanently resettling in that country.

The Gaza side of the Rafah crossing was heavily damaged during the war.

With the current ceasefire deal calling for Hamas to have no role in running Gaza, it’s unclear who will operate the territory’s side of the Rafah crossing once the war ends. Currently, an EU mission is running the crossing with assistance from plainclothes Palestinian security officers — an arrangement similar to when Rafah reopened limitedly during a brief ceasefire at the start of 2025.

Israel has said it will run security checks on Palestinians, once they're inside the zone under the Israeli military's control.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week said there would be no reconstruction in Gaza without demilitarization, a stance that could make Israel’s control over the Rafah crossing a key point of leverage. U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser Jared Kushner said last month that postwar construction would first focus on building “workforce housing” in Rafah, the enclave's southernmost city, near the crossing.

Associated Press reporters Samy Magdy in Cairo, Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

A crane enters the Egyptian gate of the Rafah crossing to the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohamed Arafat)

Palestinian children receive donated food at a community kitchen in Nuseirat, in central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)