STERIS pioneers prion decontamination technologies

April 7, 2011 - PRLog -- Following recent patient safety alerts, prion diseases – such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and variant CJD (vCJD) – are of increasing concern within the healthcare environment, as their causative agents can be extremely resistant to the cleaning, disinfection and sterilization methods currently used in many hospitals. STERIS has been at the forefront of research in this area, developing novel technologies that reduce the risk of surface prion contamination.



STERIS’ proactive approach and innovative range of prion-targeting chemistries has gained widespread recognition across various NHS Trusts, including an Innovative Health and Social Care Technology award from NHS South Central for its Hamo 100 Prion Inactivation Detergent (PID). This CE­ marked prion inactivation and removal detergent is designed as a direct replacement for current cleaning chemistries in both automated washer/disinfectors and manual cleaning systems.



This user-friendly approach has also been central to evaluation, research and testing of additional STERIS products such as Prolystica Ultra Concentrate and 2X Alkaline cleaning chemistries and the Amsco® V-PRO™ 1 Low Temperature Processing System. The Prolystica range and the vaporised hydrogen peroxide VHP® technology used in the V-PRO instrument processor provide flexible, environmentally-friendly solutions for reprocessing instruments intended for surgical use.



“Prion contamination is now a major consideration in the healthcare environment,” commented Dr. Gerald McDonnell, Vice President of Research & Technical Affairs at STERIS. “NHS Trusts up and down the country are looking to re-enforce their sterile services strategies to protect patients from the risk of CJD/vCJD transmission, and the STERIS range of decontamination solutions has been designed specifically to improve the delivery of services for patients, hospital service users and healthcare professionals.”




About STERIS
STERIS Corporation is a leading provider of infection prevention and surgical products and services, focused primarily on critical healthcare, pharmaceutical and research markets. The Company's more than 5,000 dedicated employees around the world work together to supply a broad array of solutions by offering a combination of equipment, consumables and services that enhance Customer productivity and quality, and help make the world a safer place. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol STE. For more information, please visit www.steris.com.



For further information, contact:

Sarah Pilbrow

STERIS

STERIS House

Jays Close

Viables

Basingstoke

Hampshire

RG22 4AX


Tel: +44 (0)1256 840 400

Fax: +44 (0)1256 866 503

Website: www.STERIS.com