Hand sanitizer combats H1N1 flu
Taken from MUSCATINEJOURNAL.COM
By Cynthia Beaudette
MUSCATINE, Iowa — A trio of men with Muscatine ties are marketing a long-lasting hand sanitizer all the way to Mexico.
The Mexican health department has requested shipments of Prefenz Botanicals, a 24-hour alcohol-free hand sanitizer that is marketed by Prefenz LLC of Muscatine.
According to David Reusswig, a Prefenz LLC founder, the Mexican government wants to test the product for its effectiveness in combatting swine flu.
Prefenz partners with Muscatine’s Northern Filter Media Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of filter media for potable water, wastewater and pool industries.
Reusswig, president of Northern Filter Media, and his partners, John Patchett of Madison, Wis., and Jim Patchett of Elmhurst, Ill., are three of the founders and owners of Prefenz LLC.
The Patchetts, formerly of Muscatine, are brothers who grew up here.
Prefenz was invented and patented by Dr. William Peterson, another Prefenz founder and president of Coating Systems Laboratories, Inc. of Chandler, Ariz.
Reusswig said the hand sanitizer bonds to the skin when dry.
“It kills a broad spectrum of pathogens,” he said.
Prefenz ruptures the cell walls of pathogens and destroys the cell’s opportunity to mutate and come back later as a new, super strain, according to Peterson.
That property could be especially desirable next fall, said Reusswig, when some medical professionals say the flu could return with a vengeance.
According to the World Health Organization Web site, up to 2 billion people could be affected by the swine flu if it becomes a pandemic.
According to Reusswig, Prefenz has been tested by Iowa State University and other researchers for use against bacteria, viruses and fungi.
Reusswig said the company plans to develop other personal care products using the same technology and will look to Iowa State for further research assistance.
Prefenz can be purchased in Muscatine at the farmers market at the intersection of Mississippi Drive and Sycamore Street from 7:30-11:30 a.m. Saturdays.
Reusswig said it will also be available at the Muscatine Hy-Vee next week.
