Paul Dorman, chairman and CEO of DFB Pharmaceuticals Inc, general partner of Healthpoint Ltd, a market leader in tissue management and dermatology products, has announced that the company was recently granted a US Patent for a new topical antiseptic technology, which will be marketed by the Infection Prevention Division.

The patent gives Healthpoint the first new technology introduced in the field of surgical skin asepsis since the introduction of chlorhexidine gluconate in the 1970s. Chlorhexidine gluconate was heretofore recognized as the leading active for surgical scrubs and patient preparation for surgery.

Healthpoint has named this technology Trizenol, a fast-acting and persistent topical antiseptic. Trizenol's name is derived from its three key elements: an alcohol active, an emollient for the skin, and zinc pythrione as the preservative.

Healthpoint will initially use Trizenol for products in their Infection Prevention Division, which is primarily targeted to the surgical market.

"This achievement forms a firm foundation for Healthpoint to broaden its line of innovative skin asepsis products," said Dorman. "Our Trizenol technology raises the standard of care for surgical scrubbing and preoperative skin preparation."

Healthpoint's Triseptin, the brush-free surgical scrub, contains Trizenol technology. "As its name indicates, Triseptin has the three key elements combined in an emollient rich formula," explains Shawn Gentry, who is marketing director for the Infection Prevention Division. "Triseptin combines a fast-acting active with a long-lasting preservative to prolong persistence. It also has a surfactant that assists in the removal of the dirt and organic debris."

According to Gentry, this surfactant -- plus the long-lasting persistence -- eliminates the need for the abrasive surgical brush. "This yields the most effective surgical scrub and patient prep currently on the market," he said.

Healthpoint says that its patented formulation provides performance characteristics beyond chlorohexidine gluconate (4 percent CHG) and iodophor (7.5 percent PVP-I), the two traditional surgical scrub formulations used in hospitals across the country.

Manufacturers utilising the traditional ingredients produce products that require scrubbing with a surgical scrub brush for five or ten minutes.

Healthpoint's technology requires only three minutes and no brush. "The product's unique surfactants loosen and remove dirt without a brush," Gentry stressed. "Triseptin is easy on the hands, which is important to the surgical staff which traditionally scrubs more than five times a day. "This may be the least abrasive surgical scrub agent currently available." Triseptin's efficacy has been demonstrated by thorough testing in accordance with the FDA's Tentative Final Monograph for Healthcare Antiseptic Drug Products for surgical scrubs.