STERIS Corporation reports in its latest press release:
STERIS Limited today announced that its product for removing and inactivating prion contamination from surgical instruments is immediately available for sale and use in United Kingdom hospitals. The detergent can remove and inactivate prion contamination from surgical instruments in 15 minutes, making it a unique and record breaking product. The technology will be showcased at the Patients Association Clean Hospital Summit taking place on 14/15 April 2005 in central London.
This news follows research published in The Lancet last year which revealed that STERIS’ Prion Inactivation Detergent removes and inactivates the dangerous prions present on surgical instruments and other healthcare equipment. No simple method has previously been available for tackling the deadly proteins behind BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or mad cow disease) and vCJD (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease) which does not damage the surfaces of medical instruments or other sensitive healthcare equipment being cleaned.
The Lancet research demonstrated that when surfaces are treated with the detergent solution, prions previously present on the surfaces are inactivated. This presents a major opportunity for reducing the risk of the transmission of CJD/BSE between patients each time medical equipment is re-used.
Product page at STERIS…
