Reckitt Benckiser (Germany)

<b>Background:</b> With the rise in off-season patterns of viral infections, approaches to prevent respiratory tract infections and reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance are required. <b>Aims:</b> To determine the in vitro virucidal efficacy of antiseptic cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) throat lozenges on coronavirus and influenza virus A. <b>Methods:</b> Sugar-containing (SC) and sugar-free (SF) CPC lozenges (Dolo-Dobendan®) were tested with the DIN EN 14476:2019–10 suspension test. Tablets were diluted 80% and incubated with bovine coronavirus (S379 Reims) or influenza virus A (H1N1; Brisbane/59/2007) under clean (0.3g/L bovine serum albumin) or dirty (tripartite soil load according to OECD, to mimic saliva secretion) conditions. A 10-min exposure (equivalent to tablet oral dissolution time) was used to calculate viral titre (TCID50/ml), with a reduction ≥4log10 (≥99.99%) considered sufficient. For coronavirus, large volume plating (LVP) was used as ≥4log10 was not possible due to cytotoxicity. <b>Results:</b> For influenza, after 5mins SC CPC exhibited 98.52% efficacy in clean (1.83±0.58) and dirty (1.83±0.54) conditions, and for SF 4log10 (≥99.99%) in clean (5.17±0.33) and dirty (4.00±0.00) conditions. Using LVP for coronavirus, after 10 mins SC CPC exhibited ≥99.9% efficacy in clean (3.43±0.45) and 99.8% in dirty (2.66±0.47) conditions, and SF CPC exhibited ≥99.99% efficacy in dirty (4.01±0.47) and 99.91% in clean (4.06±0.45) conditions. <b>Conclusion:</b> CPC lozenges demonstrated in vitro virucidal efficacy against coronavirus and influenza virus, which is relevant for the treatment of viral mouth and throat infections, and may be used as a preventative oral hygiene measure to reduce viral transmission risk.

Abstract Questions and potential misperceptions have arisen about the potential contribution of liquid detergent capsules to the environmental microplastics issue. The film of these detergents is highly water soluble, also in cold water, as it must fully dissolve during every type of washing process. Water-soluble grades of polyvinyl alcohol, the most commonly used detergent capsule film material, are recognised to be biodegradable. In the current paper, adequate biodegradability is confirmed by means of ready biodegradation screening tests, across a range of polyvinyl alcohol detergent grade films. The high water solubility in itself implies that detergent capsule films are not within the microplastic scope. Furthermore, their biodegradability ensures there is no concern for persistence or accumulation in the environment.