CovaGuard has been specifically designed to kill pathogens, including COVID-19 virus, to provide prolonged protection by deactivating microbes
Covalon introduces new antimicrobial technology CovaGuard to help fight against COVID-19. (Credit: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.)
Canadian medical technologies firm Covalon has developed an advanced antimicrobial technology to kill SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, along with other viruses, bacteria, and pathogens.
The new technology, dubbed CovaGuard, has been specifically designed to kill pathogens including COVID-19 virus, providing prolonged protection by deactivating microbes, and has showed sustained activity of up to four days, in the previous testing.
Covalon chief executive officer Brian Pedlar said: “With the exponential spread of the novel coronavirus, we immediately created a COVID-19 task force in our highly-regarded lab.
“Our mission was to create a new technology that could help to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus and protect healthcare workers, first responders, patients, and the general public. I am so incredibly proud of the breakthrough they have devised at great personal sacrifice, especially under the trying times we are all facing.”
CovaGuard technology is intended for safe external use on skin, like masks and gloves
CovaGuard comprises a combination of compounds including ethanol, benzalkonium chloride, and other compounds to create a persistent barrier film with antiviral and antimicrobial properties.
The active ingredients in CovaGuard are said to be highly effective against enveloped viruses, including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV coronaviruses, along with similar influenza viruses including the H1N1 and H5N1 strains.
CovaGuard is said to create a long-term protective effect using a mixture of compounds that contain active antiviral and antimicrobial agents that traps, deactivates, and kills viruses, including COVID-19 virus, bacteria, and other pathogens.
Covalon has conducted in-house testing using surrogate pathogens resembling the responses of coronaviruses. The test has shown positive results for CovaGuard, with the sustained activity of up to four days.
In addition, the company has filed for a patent on its new CovaGuard technology, and it intends to continue testing the new technology.
The company claimed that the new technology has been designed adhering to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, by using a high concentration of alcohol as a base.
Covalon chief scientific officer Val DiTizio said: “We have leveraged Covalon’s vast experience with infection control, skin integrity, and wound healing, along with our decades of experience killing pathogens, to create a novel technology that we believe is significantly more effective than current solutions on the market today.”