Infection prevention in the healthcare industry
Disinfectants have an important role in our society. They help prevent the occurrence or spread of infections by rapidly deactivating the harmful pathogens that cause them – being viruses, bacteria, or fungi. From hand washes and sanitisers to surface disinfectants, laundry detergents, and skin and wound care solutions, a wide variety of disinfectant products help us keep our skin and our environments as clean as possible.
Benzalkonium Chloride (BKC) is part of a family of cationic surfactants known as Quaternary Ammonium Compounds, often shortened to Quats. Quats are common ingredients found in disinfectant products due to their broad antimicrobial activity. By adsorbing onto the cytoplasmic membrane of microbes, Quats damage the structural integrity of cell membranes. This enables them to lead gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and lipophilic (enveloped) viruses to their death.
Novo Nordisk Pharmatech supplies pharmaceutical-grade cGMP-manufactured Benzalkonium Chloride to the healthcare industry. BKC has proven efficacy against a broad spectrum of microorganisms.
Benzalkonium Chloride is one of the most widely used Quats, with applications ranging from household and industrial cleaning solutions to personal care and pharmaceutical products like solutions, shampoos, and creams with antiseptic and antibacterial properties.
This article will explore the important role of Benzalkonium Chloride as a disinfectant in healthcare applications.
Hand sanitisers and washes
Thanks to its ability to deactivate a long list of enveloped viruses (including enteroviruses, rotaviruses, influenza virus, coronavirus, rhinovirus, chlamydia, herpes simplex, and hepatitis A), bacteria, and fungi, Benzalkonium Chloride is often used as the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in hand sanitisers and hand washes, particularly those intended for clinical settings.
Infection prevention is of high concern in a hospital environment. Anything that comes into contact with a patient’s body must be clean, meaning doctors and nurses must adhere to strict hand-washing regimens. In addition, medical devices and instruments require thorough sterilisation to be considered safe for use.
Benzalkonium Chloride is widely used in hospital settings to disinfect hands and devices. Its efficacy against coronavirus made it particularly instrumental during the Covid-19 pandemic when an emphasis on prevention, cleanliness and good hand hygiene became a global priority across hospitals.
BKC solutions for direct topical application normally contain between 0.1% and 0.5% of the active ingredient. In hospital settings, this may be even higher (between 5 and 15%) since the solutions must be further diluted before use. It is also important to note that in a high pH formulation, the efficacy of the BKC increases. This means lower concentrations may be required.
Many hospitals also use BKC disinfectants to wipe down surfaces, ensuring a sterile place for patients and lowering the chance of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections.
Antiseptic creams
Treating wounds and skin conditions carefully is important in avoiding infection and ensuring timely skin healing. This requires effective antiseptic creams that gently yet thoroughly disinfect the epithelial tissue. Antiseptic products are commonly found within first aid kits and medicine cabinets for this reason.
Antiseptic creams keep the area clean and prevent sepsis caused by harmful microorganisms. Healthcare workers also use antiseptic products before carrying out medical procedures, such as drawing blood or performing surgeries, to lower the risk of infection.
Benzalkonium Chloride is a trusted API and excipient for all these applications. It has a long history of use in wound care formulations, typically at concentrations of 0.01% to 0.1%. For skin conditions like nappy rash, eczema, psoriasis, and acne, it may be used at concentrations varying from 0.1% to 1% to act on the microorganism causing or worsening the issue.
FeF Benzalkonium Chloride
At Novo Nordisk Pharmatech, we have been producing Benzalkonium Chloride for over 70 years. Our long history, expertise, and innovative synthesis process make us the pharmaceutical industry’s leading supplier of Benzalkonium Chloride.
By manufacturing high-quality Benzalkonium Chloride for the healthcare industries, we help companies produce the formulations needed to protect the world from infections.
Our cGMP-manufactured FeF Benzalkonium Chloride promises quality, purity, and consistency—all of which are integral to the pharmaceutical, personal, and health care industries. The product is odourless and colourless, effective through a wide pH range, and has a shelf life of five years. Finally, we offer an extensive range of documentation to help our customers meet the regulatory requirements needed to register their disinfectant products on the market.