Patent Granted for Novel MRSA Biocide

Byotrol, a UK based company which last year launched a biocide that promised to take the battle against superbugs such as MRSA to a new level, has been granted a UK patent (patents are also pending in nine other countries including USA) for its product, also called Byotrol.

Byotrol is expecting to expand rapidly in the healthcare, food processing and industrial markets on the back of the patent being granted and is currently in discussions with a number of major customers and potential distribution partners.

Byotrol offers a number of benefits over conventional bacteriocides because it can deal effectively with drug resistant strains, continues to be effective for up to 7 days after application, is virtually harmless to humans and animals and is formulated from substances which have a very low environmental impact. It is effective against a variety of bacteria, algae, fungi and viruses including MRSA, SARS, Norwalk, TB, Hepatitis, HIV-1, E. coli, Legionella and Listeria.

Byotrol has a three stage effect on organisms and it uses changes in surface tension as the basis of its attack on bacteria. Byotrol interferes with the conditioning of the surface, such as a wall or table, before the bug lands, making it more difficult for the micro organism to settle on the surface and stay there and reproduce.

When the bacteria secretes material in an attempt to form a biofilm, the secretion compounds - proteins, polysaccharides or oily type materials - are all disrupted by the pervading surface tension regime, making it much more difficult or impossible for the bug to form a firm attachment to the surface.

Finally, the bug, in its weakened state, succumbs to the gentlest of biocidal action provided by the associated biocides contained within Byotrol. These are not heavy duty compounds, but when acting on such a tiny life form as a micro organism, they cause the bug's membrane to burst before it has a chance to reproduce.

Because the chemicals used in the production of Byotrol are well known as biocides, the regulatory hurdles the company has to clear are less stringent than if they were bringing an entirely new compound to market. Byotrol is not a new compound, but is a new product architecture that dramatically improves the performance of existing substances.

In the UK, the Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association Group has certified the product as suitable for use in the food processing industry. Further afield, The South African Bureau of Standards and Icelandic Fisheries Laboratories have both approved the product for use in the agricultural and fisheries industries respectively.

It has also undergone numerous safety and efficacy tests as part of an ongoing approval process by the Environment Protection Agency in the USA. The company is currently in the process of securing key additional regulatory approvals that will open up substantial further market opportunities.