Australia Australia’s Hygiene Labs makes breakthrough with antimicrobial treatment By Tony Harrington

As global regulators intensify protocols to help protect against further Covid-19 transmission, Australian biotechnology company Hygiene Labs has secured verification for a new antimicrobial treatment can inactivate the virus on surfaces for up to 28 days, writes Tony Harrington.

The Sydney-based company introduced its A333 disinfectant earlier this year with airlines across the Asia Pacific region and Australian corporate jet operators. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia’s regulatory authority for these products, has now reviewed and formally listed the product on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.

The treatment, which punctures pathogens on a microscopic ‘bed of nails’, has also been approved by delegated laboratories for use in the cabins of Airbus and Boeing airliners. The Hygiene Labs disinfectant has been independently evaluated and certificated by Eurofins Environment Testing Australia Pty Ltd, a division of Eurofins Scientific, one of the world’s leading bioanalytical testing organisations, with some 800 laboratories in 50 countries.

Mark Pettitt, Group Managing Director of Hygiene Labs, said: “As vaccines are approved and gradually introduced, medical testing and hygiene protocols are also intensifying to help minimise the chances of further transmission and damaging new social and economic lockdowns. To our knowledge, we have the only product in Australia, and possibly worldwide, to have proven and certificated 28-day effectiveness against Coronavirus infection on surfaces.”

Mr Pettitt said that in tests conducted in Australia, Eurofins applied the Hygiene Labs treatment to a hard surface contaminated with MHV-1, a surrogate recognised by the TGA as a test substitute for Covid-19. Within one hour, the treated surface was shown to inactivate 99.9 per cent of the virus, and further assessment verified that it remained effective for 28 days per application.

“We believe the scientific and regulatory validations we have achieved in Australia provide real hope in the continuing drive to help prevent transmission of Covid-19, particularly as governments seek to rebuild their economies and reactivate their communities at the earliest safe opportunity.

“Even with effective vaccines, and reliable and widely-accepted pre-departure testing for travellers, a range of supporting measures will continue to be necessary in order to help minimise viral transmission. We are confident that we can also provide extended protection across passenger and freight transport modes, and in additional locations including airports, private terminals, public transport facilities, retail outlets, hospitality premises, entertainment venues and industrial facilities.”

Tony Harrington is a senior communications executive with extensive international experience in the air transport industry. Based in Brisbane, Australia, he transitioned from a career in daily journalism to become a communications leader in the aviation industry, with international carriers including Qantas, Air New Zealand, LATAM, Hawaiian Airlines and most recently Etihad Airways. He has supported a range of Australian domestic, regional and charter airlines, and aircraft manufacturers and suppliers including ATR Regional Aircraft and BAE Systems.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 17th December 2020 | Issue #586

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