Category: Company News

Airborne Transmission: Are hand hygiene and surface cleaning enough?

CLINICAL SERVICES JOURNAL, DECEMBER 2022

Carole Hallam argues that the use of air decontamination systems to improve indoor air quality should be considered as part of Trusts’ infection prevention and control strategies. She warns that hand hygiene and surface cleaning are not enough. Click here to read the full article.

The burden of healthcare associated infections (HCAI) is a major concern across the world with an estimated 8.8 million patients affected across Europe in both acute and long-term care facilities with more than half being preventable.

Not only does HCAI result in poor outcomes for patients in terms of morbidity and mortality and but it also has a huge cost to healthcare providers. Modelled annual costs to the NHS are in the region of £2.7 billion and an estimated extended length of hospital stay of up to 25 days – what else could that money be usefully spent on and how else could the hospital beds be better utilised?

In addition to the costs and extended length of stay for patients with an HCAI, there is an even bigger concern around the growing incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

One in three microorganisms causing HCAI are resistant to at least one antibiotic making these infections harder to treat. With an estimated 4.95 million deaths globally associated with bacterial AMR in 2019 there has never been a more important time to prevent HCAIs.

Therefore, the principles of infection prevention and control are an essential strategy for preventing infections and the cornerstone in combating the spread of AMR. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has seen an increase in HCAI and an overuse of antibiotics increasing the risk of AMR, so they could not be a better time review infection prevention and control practices and to act.

CLICK TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE.

How One Vanderbilt Raised IAQ Standards

PUBLISHED 2022-08-08

FacilitiesNet, August 2022

One of the tallest skyscrapers, as part of one of the world’s most iconic skylines, opened for business during the COVID-19 pandemic with a high level of uncertainty surrounding what comes next.

When One Vanderbilt, the second-tallest office tower in New York City, unlocked its doors in East Midtown Manhattan in September 2020, it was during a stage of the pandemic when many employees were working from home as questions persisted about when they would return to the office. 

Read the full article on FacilitiesNet.

WellAir Launches a New Advanced Air Cleaning Device in Europe with Independently Tested Industry Leading 99.9% Effectiveness Against Airborne Pathogens

The Novaerus Defend 400 is a CE marked device that combines WellAir’s patented NanoStrike™ Technology with a triple-stage filtration system to optimize the health of indoor spaces

Dublin and Stamford, Conn. — WellAir, the leading health technology company that provides indoor air disinfection solutions, today announced the European launch of its Novaerus Defend 400. Novaerus has been a pioneer in combatting airborne and surface transmitted hospital-acquired infections world-wide for over 10 years. The air cleaning device is CE marked and is 99.9% effective at inactivating airborne pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 proxy virus (MS2 Bacteriophage), MRSA, bacteria, and fungi; while also purifying the air of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, gases, and odours. With the launch, WellAir continues to chart a new path forward for healthy indoor environments at a time when air quality has never been a bigger priority.

Recent research published in the Journal of Hospital Infection also found that Novaerus air disinfection devices utilizing NanoStrike technology – a transformational method of air disinfection that bursts airborne pathogen cells, rapidly inactivating them to help ensure they are no longer a threat of infection – may contribute to the prevention of hospital-acquired infections by reducing the microbial load in the air. The study is the first of its kind to examine portable air cleaning and disinfection devices in an intensive care unit.

“We are bringing the Defend 400 to the European market at a turning point for indoor air quality, as more people are recognizing the role it plays in health and wellness,” said WellAir Chief Science Officer Felipe Soberon. “Given that much of this technology was developed in Dublin laboratories, it is great to see this technology now available in Europe, following a successful U.S. launch.”

Unlike other air cleaning technologies, NanoStrike’s effectiveness lies in its ability to inactivate nanosized pathogens on contact. The Defend 400’s four-stage pathogen inactivation and filtration process also utilizes medical-grade filters in order to capture bacterial debris, fine and large particles, VOCs, gases, odours, and impurities.

“COVID-19 has focused more attention on indoor air quality and has elevated the importance of safer indoor environments by reducing the risk of exposure to airborne pathogens. This is exactly what the Defend 400 is designed to do”, said WellAir President and CEO Todd M. Pope. “This portable device expands our product portfolio, delivering powerful air cleaning in multiple device sizes.”

The Novaerus Defend 400 is ideally suited for healthcare settings but is effective in a wide array of indoor environments, such as schools and offices. It is available through WellAir’s Novaerus global distributor network. For more information, visit https://www.novaerus.com/novaerus-defend-400.

About WellAir

WellAir’s mission is to make the indoor world cleaner and safer. The company’s broad range of clean air and surface products are scientifically proven to help safeguard how people work, live and play. WellAir, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with offices in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and Stamford, Connecticut, is a leading provider of infection control solutions. 

WellAir Announces Acquisition of UV Innovators and Appointment of Todd Pope as President and CEO

Todd M. Pope, Executive Chairman of UV Innovators appointed President and CEO of WellAir

WellAir’s flagship product, the Defend 1050, a portable air cleaning system which utilizes patented plasma-based technology, received U.S. FDA clearance in January 2021

WellAir, a leader in delivering clean air solutions to people around the world, today announced the acquisition of UV Innovators (“UVI”), a North Carolina-based developer of medical-grade handheld UVC disinfection technology. In addition, the company announced that Todd M. Pope, executive chairman of UV Innovators, has been appointed President and CEO of WellAir.

Creating an Industry Leading Disinfection Platform

WellAir’s mission is to mitigate airborne pathogens that lead to infectious diseases, including viruses, by delivering energy-efficient technologies that enable safe indoor spaces for the health and wellbeing of all individuals. The combination of WellAir’s innovative air cleaning technology portfolio along with UVI’s handheld UV surface disinfection device creates a best-in-class platform.

WellAir’s portfolio of products create an ecosystem for healthy indoor air, which have been independently proven to reduce viruses, bacteria, particulate, mold, and volatile organic compounds. The Company’s platform includes portable medical-grade air disinfection devices and HVAC-integrated systems. The Company’s flagship product, the Defend 1050 is the only portable air cleaning system to use NanoStrike technology, a patented plasma-based technology that inactivates airborne viruses and bacteria. The Defend 1050 recently received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance, the only portable air cleaning system using NanoStrike technology to have achieved this designation. WellAir serves individuals and organizations across a wide variety of settings, including healthcare, education, and commercial.

UVI has developed the world’s first handheld instant UVC surface disinfection device, bringing a powerful and portable hospital-grade solution to all environments. The Company’s NuvaWave™ has been shown to be over 99.88% effective at destroying the most common and harmful pathogens in just one second, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. NuvaWave technology is used by individuals and organizations across a wide variety of settings, including healthcare, education, hospitality, and sports and entertainment.

“Combining UVI’s handheld surface disinfecting device with WellAir’s best-in-class air cleaning platform creates a unique, broad spectrum and highly scalable solution to. enable safe, healthy, and productive spaces for all individuals,” said Bill McCabe, Chairman of the Board of WellAir. “I am excited to have Todd join WellAir and to lead the Company through its next stages of growth. His experience bringing innovative medical technologies to market on a global scale will be invaluable as we look to fulfill our mission to protect indoor spaces for all individuals.”

“We are thrilled about the combination of WellAir and UVI, who have a shared mission of managing infectious diseases and creating safe environments across the globe,” said Steve Wordsworth, UVI’s sole investor. “I believe this acquisition will help UVI and its technology reach its highest potential and bring the benefits of medical-grade surface disinfection to the greatest number of people,” commented UVI board member Andy Blanton.

Appointment of President and Chief Executive Officer

Upon closing, UVI’s Executive Chairman of the Board, Todd M. Pope will serve as WellAir’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Pope brings significant healthcare industry leadership experience to the Company. Prior to joining UVI as its Executive Chairman, Mr. Pope served as a Resident operating partner at Revival Healthcare Capital, a healthcare-focused private equity firm. Before joining Revival, Mr. Pope served as President and Chief Executive Officer of TransEnterix, a publicly traded surgical robotics company. Mr. Pope has also held leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific. In addition, he currently serves as a Board Member with AdvaMed Accel.

“I am proud and energized to join the WellAir team at such an important inflection point, just weeks after receiving FDA clearance for the Defend 1050,” said Mr. Pope. “COVID-19 has put a spotlight on the need for advances in high-powered chemical-free disinfection and air purification technologies, in healthcare settings and everywhere people come together. The combination of these two companies creates a broad, innovative solution to meet the needs of organizations and industries around the world to enable safer living, working, and healing spaces.”

In addition to Mr. Pope, Dr. Nick Medendorp, UVI’s Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, and Steve Grenon, UVI’s Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, will join WellAir to serve in key executive roles.

About UV Innovators

UV Innovators, LLC was founded by Dr. Nick Medendorp, Steve Grenon and Todd M. Pope to develop a medical-grade UVC handheld to combat pathogens that cause hospital-acquired infections. To help combat the COVID-19 outbreak, UV Innovators accelerated the development of its UVC disinfection solution to help all businesses in need of powerful, portable and fast solutions.