EPA Registers New Uses for Existing Products to Help Reduce the Spread of Candida auris

On February 12, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of 11 products that have been approved for use to disinfect surfaces against the emerging multidrug-resistant fungus Candida auris (C. auris).  C. auris can cause severe infections and spreads easily among hospitalized patients and nursing home residents.  The 11 products are approved for use against C. auris to disinfect surfaces in hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities, to help reduce patient infections.  There were no antimicrobial pesticide products registered specifically for use against C. auris prior these new use registrations.

EPA worked in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal partners to ensure that the products would be effective against C. auris.  Previously, on October 16, 2019, EPA had granted public health exemptions under the provisions of section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) as amended, to the CDC, for uses of antimicrobial products, on hard, nonporous surfaces in healthcare settings for disinfection from C. auris.

The 11 products that are now registered for use against C. auris are:

•  Avert Sporicidal Disinfectant Cleaner (EPA Reg. No. 70627-72);
•  Blondie (EPA Reg. No. 67619-24);
•  Dagwood (EPA Reg. No. 67619-25);
•  Micro-Kill Bleach Germicidal Bleach Wipes (EPA Reg. No. 37549-1);
•  Oxivir 1 (EPA Reg. No. 70627-74);
•  Oxivir 1 Wipes (EPA Reg. No. 70627-77);
•  Oxivir Wipes (EPA Reg. No. 70627-60);
•  Oxycide™ Daily Disinfectant Cleaner (EPA Reg. No. 1677-237);
•  Virasept (EPA Reg. No. 1677-226);
• Wonder Woman Formula B Germicidal Wipes (EPA Reg. No. 9480-12); and
•  Wonder Woman Formula B Spray (EPA Reg. No. 9480-10).

Because there are few products with C. auris claims at this time, CDC and EPA have identified additional products that are effective against C. auris. Although these products do not yet have formal EPA-registered claims for C. auris, testing at CDC has confirmed they are effective against C. auris.  The label on the product will not include instructions for C. auris.  CDC guidance states to “follow the instructions provided for C. albicans, if included, or else follow those for fungicidal activity.” These products include:

•  Oxivir TB Spray (EPA Reg. No. 70627-56); and
•  PDI Super Sani-Cloth (EPA Reg. No. 9480-4).

The CDC Guidance further states that, if none of the above-listed products are available, or any of the EPA-registered products that are newly approved for the specific claims against C. auris, CDC recommends use of an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant effective against Clostridioides difficile spores, because CDC believes these products have been used effectively against C. auris (List K).

Additional information on C. auris is available on EPA’s website and CDC’s website.

For more on EPA disinfectant registrations, see the National Law Review Environmental, Energy & Resources section.