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Diversey, Inc., a global leader in healthcare and infection prevention products and solutions, will test several of its disinfectant products for efficacy against SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, announces the company in a media statement.
Once completed, the results of the test will be submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval.
“With a mission to protect and care for people every day, infection prevention is a major focus for Diversey,” says Mark Copeland, the company's chief marketing officer. “Up until now, healthcare providers and others have been looking at the EPA's Emerging Viral Pathogens Program for guidance, and more recently for claims against human coronavirus, on what products may work as disinfectants based on knowledge of similar pathogens. The Emerging Viral Pathogens Program is intended to bridge the gap between when outbreaks occur and novel viruses are available to test for specific product efficacy.”
Diversey has partnered with Microbac Laboratories, Inc. to test several of its products for effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2. Microbac is a leading testing laboratory that offers antiviral and antimicrobial efficacy testing for various disinfectants, sanitizers, antiseptics and devices against SARS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and other microorganisms. Microbac is one of the only testing laboratories in the world certified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to test the effectiveness of products against SARS-CoV-2 and viruses like it.
“Protecting the public against SARS-CoV-2 is an all-hands-on-deck issue," says Trevor Boyce, Microbac's chairman and CEO. "We are eager to apply our scientific knowledge and experience to our work with a global leader like Diversey, to develop new tools in the fight against this pandemic."
The test data will not replace the EPA List N and guidelines for disinfectants for use against SARS-CoV-2 at this time. All products on the list meet EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The testing will provide added assurance for specific efficacy against this virus. Until there is further EPA guidance, disinfectants found on the EPA's List N should continue to be used according to their label instructions.