Medi-Immune, Ltd., have revealed ProtectivAir®, a breathing device which has proven effective against viral and bacterial pathogens and is expected to be similarly effective against SARS-CoV-2.
HARTFORD, Conn., March 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Medi-Immune, Ltd., have today revealed ProtectivAir®, a breathing device which has proven effective against viral and bacterial pathogens and is expected to be similarly effective against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). The compact, wearable device can protect front-line healthcare staff and those in biologically compromised environments and is currently pending final testing at Public Health England (PHE) to confirm full protection against COVID-19.
ProtectivAir® is an all-British invention, patented internationally, and represents a paradigm shift in respiratory protection. It utilizes UVc, which has long been known as a way to sterilize surfaces and instruments, but with a novel application to sterilize air that is inhaled by the wearers of the device.
ProtectivAir® features several crucial protection elements:
- Disabling airborne pathogens before they are inhaled
- Protecting the user from infection as validated by testing at PHE’s Porton Down facility
- Requiring no filters, thus providing superior leakage protection than existing mask systems
- Triggering an immune response to exposed pathogens (a feature currently under final testing and approval)*
ProtectivAir® offers superior protection over standard N95/99 and FFP3 facemasks, as well as much improved breathability and ease of use for the wearer. There is no requirement for fit testing; it is completely re-useable and internally self-sterilizing and maintains its protective function (unlike conventional facemasks).
“Infectious diseases emerge at a frequency of one every 8 months, and emerging respiratory diseases do, and will, continue to cause havoc within the world’s population, as is currently happening with COVID-19,” says Medi-Immune Board Chairman, Tim Bretherick. “However ProtectivAir®'s long shelf-life also means it can be stockpiled for use in future outbreaks, helping avoid a repeat of the chaos the world is currently experiencing.”
ProtectivAir® is now fully developed and, with appropriate resources, could be put into full production within a matter of weeks to provide life-saving protection long before the production and deployment of a vaccine becomes available.
*The clinical “in vivo” testing using the Influenza virus at PHE also concluded that ProtectivAir® is 99% likely to provide the user of the device with immunity from any airborne pathogen to which he is exposed. Medi-Immune is currently working with PHE to conduct the further human testing needed to confirm this claim definitively. If proven, this immune stimulation effect offers a rapid solution to emerging pathogens, as it would eliminate the need to develop, manufacture and disseminate a conventional vaccine.
Media Contact: Bill Bambara, BBambara@intl-businesslinks.com
Medi-Immune: https://medi-immune.com/
Video: https://intl-businesslinks.com/mediimmune/
PHE Test results: https://bit.ly/39jsXyz
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SOURCE Medi-Immune, Ltd.
