British Company's New Weapon in War on Superbugs

LIVERPOOL, England, April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

A REVOLUTIONARY disinfectant that combats norovirus and kills hospital superbugs in just a minute has been developed by a British company.

The Noroclear product, which is the first of its type in the world, has gone on sale in the UK in the form of surface wipes, hand wipes and a hand rub.

Strict European standard tests prove that the product - which is free from bleaches and other dangerous chemicals - combats the norovirus germ within a minute of contact.

It kills superbugs including MRSA, C Difficile, e.coli, salmonella, listeria and all influenza viruses in less than a minute.

Norovirus, sometimes known as the winter vomiting bug, is the most common stomach bug in the UK, affecting between 600,000 and one million people of all ages every year.

The Noroclear developers, a Cheshire-based company called Arcis-Altos, have put their product through a rigorous European testing regime called EN testing. This underpins the company's claims for its killing power against superbugs, all human Flu, HIV, swine flu, SARS virus, TB causing bacteria and norovirus.

Not even harmful bleaches kill the norovirus in such a short space of time. Standard hand alcohol-based hand wipes and rubs are also ineffective.

Other products combat bacteria but are ineffective against not just the norovirus but other human viruses and the spores which cause a wide range of other illnesses.

Noroclear has been developed by a British firm in laboratories at the Sci-Tech Daresbury science campus in Cheshire. It is already in use in clinics and hospitals in Germany and Austria.

The company's chairman, Dr Tim Riley, spent a number of years as chief executive of NHS trusts in the North West of England. He was head of NHS public health policy for the Government in the '90s and led the team which developed and set up the National Institute of Clinical Excellence.

He said: "The technology behind the product is revolutionary in its impact because it gives people one product which deals quickly and across the board with superbugs and common globally occurring debilitating infections. We are recommending that people use it as a simple precautionary measure in situations where the risk of infection is raised, such as when entering hospital or when travelling.

"It will also be extremely useful in helping to prevent the spread of infection in families where one or more people has contracted norovirus.

"We know there are other products out there which claim to be effective in killing these bugs but none of them are proven to act so quickly, so effectively and against such a wide range of pathogens. It is this speed of efficacy which is so important in guarding against infection.

"This speed makes the products convenient and effective in real-life settings - a quick wipe or spray and the germs will be killed within 60 seconds. With other products, you would have to keep using and re-using for at least 15 minutes in many cases before they took effect.

"The rise of superbugs in hospitals and in other settings, aligned with the resistance of these bugs to antibiotics, makes it more important than ever that we concentrate on preventative measures and that individuals take personal responsibility for protecting themselves and their loved ones.

"Effective, affordable and easy-to-use disinfectants are especially important for those who are vulnerable - the very young and the old, plus those recovering from operations. But we believe our technology opens the way for people to take very simple but effective precautionary measures to protect themselves in situations such as the annual family holiday."

Notes to editors follow

Arcis-Altos is a biotechnology company based in a Government Enterprise Zone at Sci-Tech Daresbury, Cheshire. Details of the European test protocol which its Noroclear product has been tested against are below.

                   European
                   test        Contact
    Activity       protocol    time       Organisms

                   EN1276      1 minute   Escherichia coli,Staphylococcus
                                          aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
                                          Salmonella typhimurium,
                                          Enterobacter cloaca, Enterococcus
                                          hirae,Lactobacillus
                                          planetarium,Klebsiella pneumonia,
                                          Enterococcus faecalis, Proteus
                                          mirabilis, Streptococcus pyogenes,
                                          Salmonella choleraesuis, Listeria
                                          monocytogenes

    Bactericidal   EN13727     1 minute   MRSA, Klebsiella pneumonia,
                                          Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas
                                          aeruginosa, Enterococcus hirae,
                                          Acinetobacter baumannii

                   EN13697     1 minute   Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
                                          Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia
                                          coli, Enterococcus hirae


                   EN1500      30 seconds Escherichia coli

                   EN1650      1 minute   Candida albicans, Aspergillus
                                          niger, Tricophyton mentagrophytes
    Fungicidal

                   EN13624     1 minute   Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans

    Tuberculocidal EN14348     1 minute   Mycobacterium terrae, Mycobacterium
                                          avium

                   EN14476     1 minute   HIV, Human Corona virus, Human
                                          Influenza virus, Herpes simplex
                                          virus,
    Virucidal                             Swine Influenza A virus Norovirus

                   DVV/RKI     1 minute   Vaccinia virus, BVDV (Hepatitis C
                                          surrogate)

    Sporicidal     EN13704     1 minute   Clostridium difficile
                                          spores,Bacillus subtilis spores,
                                          Clostridium sporogenes spores,
                                          Bacillus cereus spores