UK
First results from rapid review panel in battle on MRSA
By Ashwin, UK Correspondent
Dec 3, 2004, 03:43

In his speech to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) conference in Birmingham today, Health Secretary John Reid announced that three new products had been identified that could potentially help in the fight against MRSA in hospitals. The products were the first to be identified by the new Rapid Review panel set up to look at new equipment, materials and other products that can help NHS staff improve hospital cleanliness, hygiene and infection control.

Commenting on the Rapid Review panel at the NICE conference in Birmingham today, John Reid said:

�In the battle against the superbug I leave no stone unturned.

�Lots of claims have been made for all types of products, but the NHS needs to know what works. That�s why I asked top government scientists to investigate all claims, however odd they seem at first, be it silver or even cashew nuts.

�If they can help in the battle with the ever-changing MRSA bug then we want to know. This is the latest step in our campaign to improve cleanliness and lower infection rates.�

The three products identified by the Rapid Review panel as having potential value in the battle against MRSA are:

Silver coated hydrogel catheters where the silver alloy used to coat these catheters reduces urinary tract infections
Bioquell de-contamination systems which use a range of hydrogen peroxide vapour systems to de-contaminate hospital rooms
Ebiox range of hand hygiene products that use non-alcohol based gel for hand cleaning
The panel concluded that Bioquell and Eboix still need to be subject to further evaluation in an NHS clinical setting, but the silver coated hydrogel catheters could be introduced into NHS clinical practice following peer reviewed trials and economic appraisal.

The panel also looked at four other products. A portable device that uses ultra-violet technology was reviewed, but the panel decided it was unlikely to be of benefit. The panel looked at a system to produce free radicals, another portable machine to increase radical concentrations in closed spaces, and products derived from cashew nuts, it concluded that whilst they were potentially useful new concepts, more research and development was needed.

The rapid review panel is made up of top UK scientists. It is set to meet again in December where it will look at the next wave of potential products that could help fight MRSA.


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