Serenus Biotherapeutics Partners With Xenex to Bring Disinfection Robots to Africa

Serenus Biotherapeutics, which is bridging the divide between the world's leading healthcare markets and the growing demand for access to innovative drugs and devices in the emerging nations of Africa, announces it has entered into an agreement with Xenex Disinfection Services to bring the Xenex pulsed xenon Full-Spectrum™ ultraviolet (UV) room disinfection system to Africa.

The Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot™ is used throughout hospitals, outpatient surgery centers and skilled nursing facilities in the United States, Canada and Europe. In a five minute disinfection cycle, the robot destroys contagious superbugs on surfaces through the use of high intensity pulsed xenon UV light. Designed for speed, effectiveness and ease of use, hospital cleaning staff efficiently integrate Xenex robots into a hospital's existing operations and hospital acquired infection (HAI) reduction strategy.

HAIs are common in developing nations, resulting in prolonged hospital stays for non-critically ill patients of between six and 23 days. In developing countries, excess mortality in critically ill adults affected by ventilator-associated pneumonia is reported to be as high as 27.5 percent. Among hospital-born babies in developing countries, HAIs are responsible for 4 percent to 56 percent of all causes of death in the neonatal period, with 75 percent occurring in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the World Health Organization. Pathogens' increasing resistance to antibiotics and chemicals used in cleaning is worsening the problem of HAIs and fuelling an increase in drug resistant superbugs.

"We have an opportunity to make a substantial impact on the quality of healthcare in Africa, including significantly reducing hospital stays and mortality with the introduction of this state-of-the art technology," says Dr. Menghis Bairu, CEO of Serenus. "The Xenex pulsed xenon UV disinfection robot is proven technology that is saving lives by eliminating the deadly microorganisms that cause infections in the healthcare setting."

More than 300 healthcare facilities now include Xenex devices in infection control protocols throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Cooley Dickinson Health Care (an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners HealthCare System) and other healthcare facilities have published 14 peer reviewed studies providing evidence of the Xenex robot's efficacy in highly regarded scientific journals.

Recent peer reviewed studies by hospitals that purchased Xenex robots have reported greater than 70 percent decreases in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection rates, documenting how they used the Xenex robot in their real-world hospital environment to reduce infection rates by destroying the microorganisms that cause infections. Unlike other UV products that use bulbs containing toxic mercury to produce low-intensity UV light, Xenex is the only technology that uses high intensity Full Spectrum™ pulsed xenon UV light to disinfect.

Serenus will leverage its Pan African platform to make this unique technology available to fight hospital-acquired infections in Africa. Xenex will manufacture the robots and Serenus will be responsible for commercialization and distribution in Africa.

"Since the Ebola crisis began in Africa we have worked diligently to find the right partner to bring this life saving technology to Africa. We are excited to work with Dr. Bairu and Serenus for the benefit of Africa," says Morris Miller, CEO of Xenex. "With the expertise and relationships Serenus has in Africa, this agreement provides us access to important new markets and enables us to make a difference in the lives of people in the areas they serve. We are looking forward to enhancing patient safety measures at hospitals in Africa by providing the technology to destroy the germs that make patients suffer."

Serenus launched the Xenex Germ-Zapping Robots at the Hospital Association South Africa (HASA) annual conference that took place in Cape Town Sept. 21-23, 2015.

Source: Serenus Biotherapeutics, Xenex Disinfection Services