PURE Bioscience Obtains U.S. EPA Registration of Expanded Claims for PURE Hard Surface Disinfectant/Sanitizer

PURE Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:PURE), creator of the patented silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) antimicrobial, today announced the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) registration of a major amendment to the PURE Hard Surface™ label to add additional pathogens, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and multiple Carbapenem-resistant bacteria as well as to reduce virus kill times to as quick as 30 seconds.

Michael L. Krall, President and CEO of PURE Bioscience stated, "This new EPA registration sets another key milestone for SDC and our SDC-based PURE Hard Surface product. PURE Hard Surface kills an even wider scope of organisms in even shorter time frames, including some of the most dangerous and resistant pathogens that continue to plague global human health. The EPA’s validation of the new claims for PURE Hard Surface puts it far above the competition when it comes to remarkable efficacy and low toxicity, and we’re moving forward with registrations of the new label in all 50 states.”

Rapidly Kills Viruses

PURE Hard Surface’s viral efficacy exceeds that of even highly toxic chemicals. The new label cites all viral kill times for PURE Hard Surface at no more than 60 seconds and most at just 30 seconds. In addition, PURE Hard Surface now carries 60-second kill claims for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C viruses, which, coupled with the existing 30-second HIV claim, meet OSHA standards for blood-borne pathogen control in hospitals and medical facilities.

"We challenged our technology to meet the need in multiple industries for lower contact times while maintaining the EPA Category IV toxicity rating,” said Krall. "This registration shows that PURE Hard Surface provides aggressive kill times against a wide range of viruses that pose significant and escalating health threats around the world. We expect the addition of Hepatitis B and C to the label will bolster our efforts in the hospital market.”

John Carbone, MD, PURE Bioscience Board Member and Director of Orthopedic Spine Services at Baltimore’s Harbor Hospital, stated, "As hospital acquired bacteria become progressively more resistant to standard antibacterial treatment, lowering patient and healthcare worker environmental exposures to those resistant bacteria becomes paramount. PURE Hard Surface stands alone in potency and rapid kill times combined with low toxicity to provide a new level of protection in the healthcare setting. I believe it will change the way we disinfect our medical and surgical surroundings.”

Benjamin D. Tanner, Ph.D., President and Scientific Director of Antimicrobial Test Laboratories, also commented on the announcement, "In the era of antibiotic resistance and potential viral pandemics, the world needs disinfectants that kill relevant pathogens quickly, without undue toxicity to the user. PURE Hard Surface is the first disinfectant to marry rapid, and therefore practical, contact times with broad spectrum efficacy, while remaining in the EPA’s safest toxicity class. I look forward to seeing it in wide-scale use to prevent infections.” Dr. Tanner studies infectious disease transmission with Dr. Charles Gerba and is the author of the book "Legal Aspects of Infectious Diseases.”

Powerful Protection against Resistant Bacteria

PURE Hard Surface had previously been registered with 30-second kill times against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella enterica and 2-minute kill claims for a broad spectrum of additional bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 24-hour residual protection against standard indicator bacteria. The amended PURE Hard Surface label expands the spectrum of bacterial kill claims adding 3 resistant bacteria: Carbapenem-resistant E. coli, Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1) positive Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Carbapenems are a powerful class of antibiotics typically reserved for treating the most lethal bacteria such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). NDM-1 positive organisms present an additional method of resistance that renders top-line antibiotics useless. As it does against viruses, PURE Hard Surface outperforms highly toxic chemicals against a wide range of unsafe bacteria. The amended label also includes a reduced fungal kill time from 10 minutes to 5 minutes.

Krall concluded, "We strive to be on the leading edge of environmental infection control of emerging pathogens and consistently commission laboratory testing against new infectious microorganisms, like we did for Avian Influenza, H1N1, multiple strains of MRSA and now for Carbapenem-resistant bacteria. Increasing numbers of Carbapenem-resistant strains further limit treatment options for these hazardous infections and therefore make prevention a critical priority. Even more alarming is the growing prevalence and global spread of NDM-1 positive ‘superbugs.’ PURE Hard Surface now sets an even higher standard for effective and responsible microbial control.”

About PURE Hard Surface

U.S. EPA-registered PURE Hard Surface disinfectant and food contact surface sanitizer provides an unparalleled combination of high efficacy and low toxicity with 30-second bacterial and viral kill times and 24-hour residual protection. PURE Hard Surface completely kills resistant pathogens like MRSA and Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (NDM-1) and also effectively eliminates dangerous fungi and viruses including HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Norovirus, Influenza A, Avian Influenza and H1N1 as well as hazardous food pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter. PURE Hard Surface delivers powerful broad-spectrum efficacy while remaining classified as least-toxic (Category IV) by the US EPA, and its active ingredient, SDC, has been determined Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for use as a biocide on food processing equipment, machinery and utensils.

About PURE Bioscience, Inc.

PURE Bioscience, Inc. develops and markets technology-based bioscience products that provide solutions to numerous global health challenges, including Staph (MRSA). PURE’s proprietary high efficacy/low toxicity bioscience technologies, including its silver dihydrogen citrate-based antimicrobials, represent innovative advances in diverse markets and lead today’s global trend toward industry and consumer use of "green” products while providing competitive advantages in efficacy and safety. Patented SDC is an electrolytically generated source of stabilized ionic silver, which formulates well with other compounds. As a platform technology, SDC is distinguished from competitors in the marketplace because of its superior efficacy, reduced toxicity and the inability of bacteria to form a resistance to it. PURE is headquartered in El Cajon, California (San Diego metropolitan area). Additional information on PURE is available at www.purebio.com.

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