STERIS (NYSE:STE) has launched a new room biodecontamination device aimed at life sciences customers such as animal research labs and biotechnology companies.
Mentor, Ohio-based STERIS’ new device, called the VHP Victory Room Biodecontamination Unit, uses dry, vaporized hydrogen peroxide to sterilize a room as well as the equipment in it.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
A customer might use the decontamination device, for example, to sterilize a room and equipment after a virus outbreak among research mice or to decommission a research facility, said Art Papineau, a product manager with STERIS.
“As STERIS’ process [uses] a dry vapor, it is highly compatible with most materials in these spaces and naturally breaks down into water and oxygen, rendering it a very green process,” Papineau said.
STERIS has received several regulatory clearances from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently, such as 510(k) clearances for a software modification and an accessory part for its System 1E liquid chemical sterilization system.
