Lonza gets EPA approval to tout formula to fight 'bird flu'
04/Aug/2008 Intellasia | Aescoastonline
Aug 4, 2008 - 7:00:00 AM
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Lonza, which has a facility at Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, recently announced the successful testing and registration with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of several formulations to effectively inactivate the H5N1 "bird flu" virus, also known as avian influenza A, that has spread across Asia and Europe.
The H5N1 virus is transmitted primarily through contact with surfaces and materials that have been contaminated by infected birds. Lonza's formulations, used to clean, sanitise and disinfect hard nonporous surfaces, were shown to inactivate the virus, precluding its spread.
"As one of the first companies to obtain EPA approval to make claims against the H5N1 'bird flu' virus, Lonza continues to lead the way in meeting the market's need for disinfectants that are proven effective against dangerous pathogens, such as H5N1," said David J. Koehl, Americas marketing manager for hygiene and preservation, life science ingredients and microbial control.
"These formulations can be diluted on site and applied to hard, non-porous surfaces using a variety of application techniques (e.g. spraying, mop and bucket, etc.) as described in the label instructions," said Koehl. "Technically speaking, these formulations inactivate the virus by denaturing cell proteins and disrupting the viral membrane."
The marketing director noted that the company has been working on this issue for the past two-years.
"Our efforts were stepped up in March of 2006 in response to the pandemic in Asia," Koehl said. "We began our initial tests, which were followed by efforts to seek approvals from the US EPA regarding the use of our formulas to combat the H5N1 virus."
Lonza is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, and is listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange. In 2007, Lonza had sales of CHF 2.87 billion.
"Lonza is continually researching ways to improve the health and well-being of humans, animals and plants through the detection, measurement, treatment and prevention of harmful fungi, bacteria and viruses in our environment," said Koehl.
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