GAINESVILLE, Fla., June 28, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quick-Med Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:QMDT), a leader in developing innovative antimicrobial technologies for the healthcare and consumer markets, today announced its application for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration of the Company's proprietary Stay Fresh™ antimicrobial textiles technology.
Stay Fresh provides durable, long-lasting antimicrobial efficacy against 99.999% of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, for as many as 75 laundering cycles. To obtain EPA registration for Stay Fresh, Quick-Med has submitted data to the agency showing that an inert binder in the formulation bonds the active agent to the fabric. This inert binder tethers the eco-friendly active ingredient to fibers or fabrics to eliminate odor causing bacteria and fungi. The Company notes that EPA has not yet evaluated or approved the efficacy or other data submitted to support its registration.
"We are pleased to announce our submission for EPA registration of Stay Fresh," said Dr. Gerald M. Olderman, Vice President of Research and Development at Quick-Med Technologies. "Today's leading freshness-enhancing textiles technologies are not very effective against certain types of bacteria and cannot maintain efficacy after repeated laundering. Pending EPA registration, Stay Fresh can provide antimicrobial protection within a variety of textiles, allowing textile manufacturers to meet growing consumer demand for fabrics that protect against infection and odor causing bacteria. With bacterial resistance on the rise, our Stay Fresh technology is particularly ideal for workers in the medical and educational fields, armed forces, and other communal settings where risk of infection is high."
In the U.S., hospital- and community-acquired infections are preventable epidemics that cause 100,000 deaths and cost the healthcare system $10 billion each year.
About EPA Registration
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requires the registration of any substance intended to prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate pests. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) registration process evaluates an antimicrobial to determine that it will not have unreasonable adverse effects on humans, the environment and non-target species. To make such determinations, EPA requires scientific studies and tests from applicants. Once registered, a pesticide may not legally be used unless the use is consistent with the approved directions for use on the pesticide's label or labeling.
More than 5,000 antimicrobial products are currently registered with EPA and sold in the marketplace. Nearly 60% of antimicrobial products are registered to control infectious microorganisms in hospitals and other health care environments. For more information please visit www.epa.gov.
About Stay Fresh™
Stay Fresh™ is Quick-Med's newest patent-pending technology platform, offering textile companies a breakthrough in antimicrobial protection to enhance and differentiate their products. Today's leading freshness-enhancing textiles technologies are unable to destroy certain bacteria and unable to maintain efficacy throughout the life of the product. Stay Fresh is designed to overcome these limitations by providing cost-effective, durable, and sustained antimicrobial protection. Stay Fresh provides durable, long-lasting antimicrobial efficacy against 99.999% of both Gram-positive and Gram negative bacteria. The safe, eco-friendly active ingredient in Stay Fresh is bonded to fibers or fabrics to retain its efficacy for as many as 75 laundering cycles, in hot or cold water. The Company notes that EPA has not yet evaluated or approved the efficacy or other data submitted to support its registration.
Stay Fresh is ideally suited to a wide variety of potential applications, including essential apparel, work wear, active wear, bedding and health care textiles, and compatible with multiple white and colored fabric types and compositions.
About Quick-Med Technologies, Inc.
Quick-Med Technologies, Inc. is a life sciences company that is developing innovative technologies for the healthcare and consumer markets. For more information, see: www.quickmedtech.com.
© 2010 Quick-Med Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. Stay Fresh™ is a trademark of Quick-Med Technologies, Inc.
Forward-looking statements (statements which are not historical facts) in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained in this release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may", "will", "to", "expect", "plan", "believe", "anticipate", "intend", "could", "would", "estimate", and/or "continue" or the negative or other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those risks that are discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which may be accessed at the SEC's Edgar System at www.sec.gov.
Note: Antimicrobial information is presented solely to assist in technology evaluation and is not intended to be a public health claim. Stay Fresh™ technology has not yet received EPA registration or FDA clearance.