Cutting through the dirt on disinfectants

During these challenging times, there has been a lot happening in the world of infection control and that has brought out the good and the bad in our society.

This has included the good in reputable companies that continue to provide quality products and advice for many years and the bad in those that sprang out for the opportunity to profit from an unfortunate situation.

We have all heard the stories of being bombarded with marketing material. It has been a difficult task to sift through all of the information and make sure you are making the right choices for you and the environment you work in. Promises of natural ingredients and long-lasting effects well beyond what would be normal protocol for environmental cleaning are among those and, sadly, sometimes the promises do not deliver the results you need.

While most people who work in a healthcare environment are aware of the rules and regulations surrounding claims made on products and advertising, there are many people who are not as well versed.

Get to know your TGA

The first port of call when making any consideration is to visit the Therapeutic Goods Administration website.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is part of the Australian Government Department of Health and is responsible for regulating therapeutic goods including prescription medicines, vaccines, sunscreens, vitamins and minerals, medical devices, blood, and blood products.

You can also see what the role of the TGA is by watching their information video at https://www.tga.gov.au/role-tga.

The TGA has published a list of products that have been approved to make the claim against COVID-19. This can be found at https://www.tga.gov.au/disinfectants-use-against-covid-19-artg-legal-supply-australia.

All products regulated by the TGA will be assigned an ARTG number beginning with an R or an L depending on whether it is Registered or Listed (this is the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods number).

Responsibility of the supplier and you the decision maker

It is important to do further research to ensure you are making the best decision when choosing products. This is where responsibility falls beyond the TGA and into the hands of the product owner and those who advertise and subsequently, to you, to check whether the products will do what you need them to do.

There are many products to choose from but there are easy ways to cut through marketing jargon and to clearly see what the differences are.

Ways for you to do this are:

• Ask or download the ARTG summary on the product and check what it is listed for.
  • The advertising claims should not go beyond what is mentioned on the summary as this has not been verified by the regulatory body.
  • Some products are exempt from the TGA and cannot make specific claims in their marketing. These will not have an ARTG number assigned to them.
• Request the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) as this will give you information on the product such as its composition, its usage and safety concerns.
  • It will also tell you how the product needs to be stored and what safety equipment needs to be worn if any.
  • This is important information when considering where the product will be used, by whom and where.

Looking beyond COVID-19

COVID-19 has been a big challenge for us all. As an enveloped virus, we know that it is one of the easiest pathogens to break down with disinfectants. However, in our environments, there are pathogens that are not as easy to break down. Although the TGA COVID-19 list provides products proven to be effective against this virus, some of the products do not go far beyond this capability.

This is where the research done with ARTG summaries and MSDS information is vitally important.

When searching to have better all-around protection against pathogens, there are fewer products that will achieve this and many factors to consider which are relevant to your situation and the environment you want to protect.

Anaeron is an Australian owned and operated company which has been providing quality products, advice, and guidance on how to best make the right decision for you. It is important to keep up to date on latest developments, regulations, and guidelines and this is where Anaeron can also assist.

We are immensely proud to distribute a range of products that are made right here in Australia by Steri-7 Pty Ltd.

• S-7XTRA solutions and wipes are listed on the ARTG as a Hospital Grade cleaner disinfectant working in (1) clean or dirty conditions that cleans and kills. Bactericidal, virucidal including Coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) (30 minutes for parvovirus), sporicidal (including C-Difficile), tuberculocidal, fungicidal and kills mould, and that provides a reactive barrier that stays active between cleans for ongoing protection.
   

Steri-7 products have the philosophy of Break, Treat, Prevent:

• Break the chain of infection by using Steri-7 products to
• Treat the affected surface with a non-toxic, pH Neutral Cleaner Disinfectant that is effective and protects in between cleans and
• Prevent occurrence of a pathogen being re-introduced.
   

Contact us when considering products for your facility and put S-7XTRA products to the test for today’s challenges and beyond.

(1) Excerpt from ARTG Summary.