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U.S. Patent Issued for Anti-Super Bug Disinfectant

MRSA bacteria (CDC)

Scanning electron micrograph image of MRSA bacteria (Janice Haney Carr, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Quick-Med Technologies Inc. in Gainesville, Florida received a patent for its antimicrobial disinfectant technology designed to combat drug-resistant bacteria in medical applications. Patent number 8,343,523 was awarded yesterday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to three inventors, including William Toreki, Quick-Med’s vice- president for research and development.

The patent covers the composition and methods for applying an antimicrobial disinfectant to various solid surfaces, including human skin. The disinfectant consists of alcohol with an antimicrobial polymer that is soluble in alcohol, but not in water. The material is designed for application on a surface, which then evaporates leaving the antimicrobial polymer.

The company says the the technology described in the patent is part of its Nimbus product line of wound care products. The Nimbus dressings, says Quick-Med, is a non-leaching antimicrobial dressing that eliminates the risk of bacteria developing resistance.

The technology covered in the patent includes quaternary ammonium polymers that the company says destroys bacteria at the cellular level, and thus its effectiveness against a variety of bacteria including leading drug resistant microbes, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus.

The patent covers application of the disinfectant technology to medical devices such as surgical sutures and catheters, where the antimicrobial properties are infused in the product rather than applied to the surface. The patent likewise covers the adding of the disinfectant to polyurethane foam used as a wound dressing, ultraviolet curable coatings, and medical adhesives.

About a year ago, the company was awarded a patent for a similar antimicrobial polymer technology.

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