ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ecolab introduces OxyCide™ Daily Disinfectant Cleaner, a non-bleach sporicide developed for daily use in healthcare settings. OxyCide is proven effective in killing a broad spectrum of harmful bacteria and viruses, including Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) spores in three minutes and multi-drug resistant organisms and viruses in five minutes or less, helping hospitals to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

“OxyCide is proven to kill 33 different types of bacteria and viruses in five minutes or less and will help generate efficiency gains and savings in hospitals by eliminating the need to use multiple solutions on the different surfaces within operating rooms, patient rooms and common areas”

Frequently, pathogens travel between environmental surfaces, hands and ultimately to patients, causing infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1.7 million patients contract HAIs in U.S. hospitals every year, of which 14,000 die of C. difficile infections. Preventing the spread of C. difficile is particularly difficult because its spores are resistant to standard disinfectants and can live on hard surfaces for months. According to a recent study in Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, C. difficile infections cost the healthcare industry $1.5 billion each year, or approximately $11,285 per case.

“OxyCide is proven to kill 33 different types of bacteria and viruses in five minutes or less and will help generate efficiency gains and savings in hospitals by eliminating the need to use multiple solutions on the different surfaces within operating rooms, patient rooms and common areas,” said Dr. Andy Cooper, vice president of Research, Development & Engineering at Ecolab. “Using a sporicide everywhere, everyday will help our customers be more effective in killing C. difficile spores and other dangerous pathogens.”

In a study presented at IDWeek 2012, daily cleaning using OxyCide resulted in a 36.5 percent reduction of viable bacteria on hospital surfaces compared to other disinfectants.ⁱ OxyCide leaves no visible residue and, unlike bleach, does not require rinsing. It is non-corrosive on most hard surfaces, including high-touch objects such as over-bed tables, bedrails, door handles and bathroom surfaces. In addition, OxyCide’s lockable product cabinet and closed-loop dispensing system offer safer product handling for staff, helping to reduce the risk of spills by eliminating the need for manual pouring and mixing.

According to a January 2013 survey from the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), 70 percent of infection preventionists have adopted additional interventions in their facilities to address C. difficile since March 2010, however only 42 percent have seen a decline in their infection rates.ⁱⁱ In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have begun requesting C. difficile infection data from hospitals this year and potentially could reduce reimbursements related to infections caused by the bacteria.

OxyCide is being featured at the Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE) EXCHANGE 2013 meeting in Indianapolis. For more information, visit the OxyCide Daily Disinfectant Cleaner page on Ecolab.com.

About EcolabA trusted partner at more than one million customer locations, Ecolab (ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources. With 2012 sales of $12 billion and 44,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions and on-site service to promote safe food, maintain clean environments, optimize water and energy use and improve operational efficiencies for customers in the food, healthcare, energy, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world.

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ⁱ Perkins J, Ferguson J, et. al. Effect on Patient Room Environmental Bioburden From Use of a Novel Daily-Use Sporicidal Hard Surface Disinfectant. Poster; IDWeek 2012, San Diego, CA – October 17-21, 2012.

ⁱⁱ Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. “2013 CDI Pace of Progress Survey”. January 2013. http://cdiff2013.site.apic.org/about-the-conference/cdi-pace-of-progress-survey/.

(ECL-P)