CDC Warns Deadly Drug Resistant Candida auris Spreading Rapidly Across US

Rhea-AI Summary

Applied UV, Inc. (AUVI) announced that the CDC has warned about the rapid spread of Candida auris in U.S. healthcare facilities, a significant health threat with a mortality rate of 30-60% for bloodstream infections. The company’s Sterilumen devices have been independently tested and proven to kill C. auris on surfaces in just 15 minutes. Their product, the Airocide® Air Purification System, is also effective against multi-drug resistant pathogens. Additionally, the LumiCide Surface and Drain Disinfection Systems are currently being trialed at the prestigious Mount Sinai Medical Center, with results expected in Q3 2023.

Positive

• CDC warning on Candida auris highlights the need for effective disinfection solutions, potentially increasing demand for AUVI products.
• Independent lab testing confirms Sterilumen devices kill C. auris on surfaces, enhancing credibility.
• The Airocide® Air Purification System is effective against various pathogens, expanding marketability.
• Trial at Mount Sinai Medical Center may validate LumiCide's effectiveness, aiding broader adoption in healthcare.

Negative

• None.

Candida auris is a pathogenic disease commonly acquired in hospitals or long-term care facilities with no known vaccine currently available

CDC has stated that 30-60% of people with C. auris bloodstream infections die and considers it one of the most significant infectious diseases in the world today

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Applied UV, Inc. (NasdaqCM: AUVI) (“Applied UV” or the “Company”), a leading provider of best in class suite of proprietary, patented, scientific and clinically proven, surface and air disinfection technologies (fixed, mobile and HVAC), LED lighting products and hotel furnishings used by clients globally, announces today, the Center of Disease Control (CDC) has warned that Candida auris (C. auris) is spreading rapidly through U.S. health care facilities. As the company previously announced, the Sterilumen family of disinfection devices was independently tested by ResInnova Laboratories (an independent microbiology testing laboratory specializing in antimicrobial technologies) who confirmed that the Company’s devices kill C.auris on sink handles, achieving a log2 kill in just fifteen minutes of operation. Applied UV’s recently acquired Puro UV completed independent lab testing commissioned by Violet Defense™, the UV technology provider powering Puro’s Helo products, and performed at an EPA and FDA GLP-compliant, ISO 17025 Accredited Testing Laboratory. Testing determined that Puro UV disinfecting fixtures are effective at killing the C. auris fungus.

Sterilumen’s complete family of air and surface disinfection devices including Airocide® Air Purification System, a proprietary airborne pathogen killing technology originally developed for use by NASA and listed as a FDA Class II Medical Device that uses a patented combination of UVC and a proprietary, titanium dioxide based photocatalyst, kills the emerging multi-drug resistant fungus, Candida auris (“C. auris”) as well as its surface disinfection platform Lumicide. Additionally, independent research previously conducted demonstrated that Airocide® also kills MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

Applied UV‘s patented LumiCide Surface and Drain UVC Disinfecting Systems is currently installed within the world renowned Mt. Sinai Medical Center Morningside in a trial, the results of which are expected to be published late in Q3 2023 which would further validate the previously obtained independent results conducted by ResInnova Laboratories. This validation could facilitate the adoption of the Company’s LumiCide Surface and Drain disinfection solutions throughout healthcare facilities globally. Mount Sinai Morningside, formerly known as Mount Sinai St. Luke's, is a teaching hospital located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Mount Sinai Morningside is affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System, a nonprofit hospital system formed by the merger of Continuum Health Partners and the Mount Sinai Medical Center in September 2013. It provides general medical and surgical facilities, ambulatory care, and a Level 2 Trauma Center, verified by the American College of Surgeons. It operates 21 clinics and as of 2020, is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

Candida auris is an emerging fungal pathogen that presents a serious global health threat. It enters the body through the skin and infects the bloodstream, central nervous system, and multiple internal organs. It has been identified as being multiple drug resistant, and the disease is particularly pernicious in patients with weakened immune systems, which is why it is so problematic in hospitals and long-term care facilities. CDC currently considers Candidiasis as one of the most significant infectious diseases in the world today.

Applied UV’s LumiCide Disinfection System product line has the following attributes:

• Focus on the sink area and drain. Focuses on pathogens that accumulate on the sink area, including handles, faucets and backsplash and in the drain.
• UVC LED Pathogen Destruction. Destroys 4 logs (99.99%) some of the most dangerous pathogens like COVID 19, MERSA C’diff, in the bathroom vanity/sink area with at least two hours of continuous use.
• Automatic operation. Built-in programmable controller that ensures operation for the full required daily time and is not dependent on manual operation.
• Continuous operation. Works in cycles of two hours on and four hours off, except for the disinfecting drain which is on 15 minutes every hour. The timing protocol is managed by a programmable controller and a motion detector enclosed within each device and works while the room is still occupied and while the bathroom is not in use, therefore, continuously disinfecting an area of ongoing high contamination.
• Safety. Built-in motion detector and sensor automatically shuts off the UVC light when anyone enters the room eliminating any concern over UV safety. Once there is no movement in the room for 10 minutes the UVC light comes back on to restart and continue its cycle.
• Removable UVC LED panel. The UVC LEDs are installed via a removable panel, leading to ease of replacement or upgrade.
• Ease of Installation. The unit is easy to install and uses standard electrical wiring.
• IOT connectivity. IOT connectivity uses Wi-Fi and RF technology that enables continuous transmission of use and functionality data over the Internet for collection and analysis.

Applied UV’s internal research and research provided by the CDC estimates that each year about one in 25 U.S. hospital patients (approximately 1.4 million people) are diagnosed with at least one infection related to hospital care alone and additional infections occur in other healthcare settings. Approximately 900,000 Americans die each year due to complications associated with Hospital Acquired Infections (“HAI”). Many HAI’s are caused by the most urgent and serious antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacteria and my lead to sepsis or death. According to NIH, Healthcare-associated infections are known to increase the length of stay, health care costs, and mortality. Each year the top five healthcare-associated infections result in about $9.8 billion in costs.

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About Applied UV

Applied UV, Inc. (“AUVI”) provides proprietary surface and air disinfection technology focused on Improving Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), specialty LED lighting and luxury mirrors and commercial furnishings all of which serves clients globally in both the commercial and retail segments.

Our products address the needs in the healthcare, hospitality, food preservation, cannabis, education, winery vertical markets. The Company has established strategic manufacturing partnerships and alliances including Canon, Acuity, Johnson Controls, Siemens, Grainger, and a global network of 89 dealers and distributors in 52 countries, offering a complete suite of products through its two wholly owned subsidiaries - SteriLumen, Inc. (“SteriLumen”) and Munn Works, LLC (“Munn Works”). SteriLumen owns brands and markets a portfolio of clinically proven products utilizing advanced UVC Carbon, Broad Spectrum UVC LED’s, Photo-catalytic oxidation (PCO) pathogen elimination technology, branded Airocide ^®, Scientific Air™, Airoclean™ 420, Lumicide™, PUROHealth, PURONet, and LED Supply Company. Sterilumen’s proprietary platform suite of patented, surface and air technologies offers, the most complete pathogen disinfection platform including mobile, fixed and HVAC systems and software solutions interconnecting its entire portfolio suite into the IoT allowing customers to implement, manage and monitor IAQ measures recommended by the EPA across any enterprise. Sterilumen’s Lumicide™ platform applies the power of ultraviolet light (UVC) to destroy pathogens automatically, addressing the challenge of healthcare-acquired infections ("HAI’s) in several patented designs for infection control in healthcare. LED Supply Company, a full-service, wholesale distributor of LED lighting and controls throughout North America.

MunnWorks manufactures and sells custom luxury and backlit mirrors, and conference room & living spaces furnishings.

Our global list of Fortune 100 end users including Kaiser Permanente, NY Health+Hospitals, MERCY Healthcare, Baptist Health South Florida, New York City Transit, Samsung, JB Hunt, Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park, JetBlue Park, France’s Palace of Versailles, Whole Foods, Del Monte Foods, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Marriott, Hilton, Four Seasons and Hyatt, and more. For information on Applied UV, Inc., and its subsidiaries, please visit https://www.applieduvinc.com

Forward-Looking Statements

The information contained herein may contain “forward‐looking statements.” Forward‐looking statements reflect the current view about future events. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, identify forward‐looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements contained in this press release relating to the view of management of Applied UV concerning its business strategy, future operating results and liquidity and capital resources outlook. Forward‐looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and assumptions regarding its business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward–looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. The Company’s actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward‐looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees of assurance of future performance. We caution you therefore against relying on any of these forward‐looking statements. Factors or events that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of them. The Company cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States, the Company does not intend to update any of the forward‐looking statements to conform these statements to actual results.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230322005265/en/

Applied UV Inc.

Max Munn

Applied UV Founder, CEO & Director

Max.munn@applieduvinc.com

Brett Maas, Managing Principal

Hayden IR

brett@haydenir.com

(646) 536-7331

Source: Applied UV, Inc.

FAQ

What recent warning did the CDC issue regarding Candida auris?

The CDC warned about the rapid spread of Candida auris in U.S. healthcare facilities, which poses a significant health threat.

What is the significance of the mortality rate associated with C. auris?

The mortality rate for people with C. auris bloodstream infections is between 30-60%, making it a serious concern.

How effective are Applied UV's Sterilumen devices against C. auris?

Sterilumen devices have been independently tested and confirmed to kill C. auris on surfaces within 15 minutes.

What products does Applied UV offer to combat C. auris?

Applied UV offers a range of disinfection technologies, including the Sterilumen devices and Airocide® Air Purification System.

What is the current trial involving Applied UV at Mount Sinai Medical Center?

The LumiCide Surface and Drain Disinfection Systems are currently being trialed at Mount Sinai Medical Center, with results expected in Q3 2023.