Prefenz: A Hand Sanitizer?

Germ Free 24, Prefenz, and MRSAnator

Recently both the Muscatine Journal and the Quad-City Times have posted news articles (both linked to in the product website) about the hand sanitizer product called Prefenz.  Both articles seem to preach the gospel of this product being an effective hand sanitizer. According to these news articles, this product not only kills MRSA, Strep, and E.Coli, among other bacteria, fungi, and viruses, but it does so for 24 hours after application. That is a pretty impressive claim. The company president of Prefenz Botanicals, Aaron Powers, is even seen in this youtube video claiming that Prefenz  “is the only FDA listed hand sanitizer product that completely eradicates the swine flu”.

Wow. If this is the case, then sign me up. I actually have a bottle in the bathroom right now, and have been using the product for a few days. It allegedly creates a barrier all over your hands that kills the bad stuff for up to 24 hours. It definitely feels like I have a barrier on my hands right now, and I like how it feels. Its not like you have dried Elmer’s glue on your hands or anything.  In fact, the sensation that I have a barrier on my hands is so faint and light, that it could be a pretty convincing mind trick. If this stuff does what it says, it truly is an amazing product.

The problem is, the current atmosphere surrounding the H1N1, and all that has introduced an excellent opportunity for snake oil salesmen.The government’s FDA website has an FDA 2009 H1N1 (Swine) Flu Page that contains several consumer protection links concerning fraudulent H1N1 claims and bogus H1N1 products. It even offers an embeddable widget for your website that will help identify these shenanigans, and there is a category in it for hand sanitizers. Now, Prefenz is not currently listed as being bogus or anything, but it did help me appreciate the weight of the claims made. One would think that maybe the Muscatine Journal or the Quad City Times would have provided credible links or references to studies that back up these claims, but it pretty much just quotes the website or product makers concerning those claims. The actual Profenz website isn’t much more helpful in providing third-party or other independent sources confirming the efficacy of the claims. In all fairness, the Muscatine Journal article does reference a study done by Iowa State University, but here is the quote:  “According to Reusswig, Prefenz has been tested by Iowa State University and other researchers for use against bacteria, viruses and fungi.” Well, the Muscatine Journal didn’t bother to actually check this claim seeing as it basically just says that this David Reuswig says its so. David Reuswig is president of Northern Filter Media. Northern Filter Media are partners with Prefenz. Their home website prominently features “Swimming Pool Filter Media”. Related hand sanitizer Germ Free 24 from Coating Systems Laboratories also advertises a line of pool products, so I guess that Northern Filter Media may not be an unbiased source.

Right, so where did I come up with this other company Coating Systems Laboratories? Well, the key ingredient in Prefenz is something called amosilq, a silica complex which is a …wait for it…silylated quaternary ammonium compound. This ideally provides residual antimicrobial protection, meaning it lasts a relatively long time, longer than the time it takes for alcohol-base Purell to evaporate anyway. Well, all three of the above pictured products contain amosilq. Those are Germ Free 24, Prefenz, and MRSAnator. I mentioned before the Muscatine Journal trusting that these Iowa State University tests were legit, well, turns out there is a study done by Iowa State University. Keep in mind though, that the study was financed by Northern Filter Media, partners with Prefenz. Also the study very plainly starts off with “In this communication we report the effectiveness of these sanitizers for killling human enteric pathogens on inanimate surfaces…”. Now that sounds like a pretty qualified statement, but this is a study. Also, I can be a pretty lazy guy, but I don’t think I would call my hands “inanimate surfaces”. Sanitizing inanimate surfaces  and grippy grabby human meat mits over the course of a very hands-on 24 hours are two totally different things.

I guess what I’m getting at is that these guys haven’t proven to me that this stuff does what it says it will. I like the feel of the stuff and I really hope it does what it says it does, but I’m not convinced that its not just snake oil in this application. I like this study I found the link to at Hand Hygiene Facts. A news channel compared different hand sanitizers by using actual kid hands! I’d like to see Prefenz stack up to this test, including the 24 hour claim.