Aim: Ethanol is highly effective at inactivating enveloped viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this study is to evaluate the virucidal activity of Amuchina Gel Xgerm (74% ethanol) against SARS-CoV-2, according to the European Standard EN14476:2013+A2:2019. Materials & methods: Virucidal activity of the study product was evaluated against SARS-CoV-2 strain USAWA1/2020 in suspension, in the presence of 0.3 g/l of bovine serum albumin. Results: The log10 reduction of SARS-CoV-2 in the presence of bovine serum albumin was ≥4.11 ± 0.12 after 30 s of exposure to the study product (80% dilution). Cytotoxicity was observed in the 100 dilution, affecting the detection limit by 1 log10. Conclusion: Virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2 supports the effectiveness of this alcohol-based formulation as a prevention measure for COVID-19 illness.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; alcohol-based hand rub; alcohol-based hand sanitizer; hand hygiene; hand sanitizer.
Lay abstract The virus responsible of COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, can be inactivated by ethanol. This study evaluates the ability of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (Amuchina Gel Xgerm, 74% ethanol) to kill SARS-CoV-2, according to the European Standard guidelines. Amuchina Gel Xgerm completely inactivates the virus after 30 s of exposure. This result supports the effectiveness of this alcohol-based formulation as a prevention measure for COVID-19.