Chlorhexidine is a New Defense Against Bird Flu

2006-11-14 | 08:30

Skinvisible Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is presenting on "How Effective are Hand Sanitizers in Stopping the Spread of Bird Flu?" at the 3rd Annual Bird Flu Summit in Geneva, Switzerland on November 14 and 15. Skinvisible has conducted clinical studies confirming that its new Chlorhexidine Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer with its patented delivery system Invisicare has a greater than 99.9 percent inactivation/kill on the 'Bird Flu Virus' (H5N1) for up to 10 minutes and a greater than 98 percent inactivation/kill for up to four hours when tested on skin. These studies, conducted by Retroscreen Virology, a subsidiary of University of London's Queen Mary School of Medicine, differentiates the Chlorhexidine Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer from other medicinal scrubs or alcohol-based sanitizers and treatments on the market, which only offer protection upon immediate application to the skin. According to Retroscreen, "antiviral hand care products that are shown to inactivate/kill H5N1 will be an important weapon in stopping the spread of this virus. The longer the duration the active stays on the skin to kill the virus the better." This "Bird Flu Summit" is an important milestone for Skinvisible as major international organizations such as the World Health Organization as well as Scientists from Governmental Agencies worldwide will be presenting and in attendance. Skinvisible's study results will be presented by Dr. Robert Lambkin-Williams, the Managing Director of Retroscreen Virology. Experts warn that the H5N1 virus may prove to be the source of the next human catastrophe and Skinvisible is looking to establish its Chlorhexidine Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer as an essential product for the healthcare industry to inactivate/kill this virus if it should become resident on the hands. This could stop person to person cross contamination. "As this deadly virus can live on hard surfaces for days and be picked up by hand contact then a long lasting hand sanitizer may be the answer as the first line of defense against the H5N1 virus," said Terry Howlett, president and CEO of Skinvisible. The virus can also survive up to 48 hours on non-porous surfaces such as a telephone, computer keyboard, doorknobs, kitchen utensils and toys, for example. This is what makes hand-washing so important. Washing your hands frequently and using a product such as Skinvisible's Chlorhexidine Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer, which stays effective for up to four hours and cannot be rubbed off or washed off, could dramatically reduce the incidence of respiratory disease in general by 40 percent, experts say. The product has also been tested against a variety of viruses and bacteria of concern to the healthcare industry, including Influenza A, Hepatitis C and MRSA. Study results and samples are available upon request. Licenses are available for commercialization of the product. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Skinvisible Pharmaceuticals is a research-and-development company that has formulated and patented Invisicare, an innovative polymer delivery system that enhances the delivery of active ingredients for topically applied skin care products.