Specialty chemicals company Lanxess today donated its highly effective Rely⁺On^™ Virkon^™ disinfectant to the Maharashtra Government to help reduce cross contamination of COVID-19 in civic hospitals and other establishments across the state. The product is being delivered in two tranches of 500 kgs each to the Government of Maharashtra relief co-ordination center at the Haffkine Institute in Mumbai.

Lanxess India had recently donated 100 Kgs of the disinfectant to Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) for use in civil hospitals and other establishments. Lanxess globally is also donating ten metric tonnes of the disinfectant to hospitals, authorities and public institutions in 13 countries around the world.

With regard to the current global Coronavirus situation, independent tests have proven that Rely⁺On™ Virkon™ quickly inactivates a closely related surrogate of the currently spreading coronavirus strain. From these tests it can be concluded that Rely⁺On™ Virkon™ would also be effective against SARS-CoV-2 which is causing the current COVID-19 epidemic.

The independent test results indicated that Rely⁺On™ Virkon™ achieved inactivation of the coronavirus strain at a 1:100 dilution rate with a 10-minute contact time. This corresponds to test conditions required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and proves the performance and suitability of Rely⁺On™ Virkon™ for practical use.

Rely⁺On™ Virkon™ is diluted for application and sprayed on hard surfaces and equipment. It can therefore help to reduce the risk of cross contamination from surfaces, door handles, tables or chairs during disinfection measures at public transport terminals, airports, hospitals, clinics, shopping malls, etc.

Neelanjan Banerjee, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, LANXESS India commented, “We feel energized to have been able to contribute significantly in the fight against COVID-19 by utilizing our product expertise. We have been able to quickly align our production and logistics capacities to arrange for Rely⁺On™ Virkon™ for the purpose of this contribution. We are committed to working closely with government authorities and establishments in fighting the spread of this disease.