Nano Mask Inc has retained AlvaMed LLC, an FDA consulting firm specializing in medical devices, to prepare the company’s latest generation disposable, anti-viral NanoMask for FDA approval. Doug Heath, CEO of Nano Mask, has indicated that the company is looking forward to working with AlvaMed’s team in obtaining the FDA approval in a timely manner.

The NT-V2 Advanced Technology Respirator Face Mask is now available through BeyondN95Mask.com, a division of Spartan Business Services LLC. The NT-V2 Mask is the next step beyond N95 Respirator Masks. This unique NIOSH approved N95 respirator utilizes Nano Technology to help neutralize airborne germs, such as those which cause Swine Flu (H1N1), Bird Flu (H5N1), Anthrax, Tuberculosis, and MRSA. It is the world’s first self-sterilizing mask, manufactured by one of only two companies in the world with an FDA approved N95 mask.

Vystar and Alatech Healthcare have received 510(k) clearance from the FDA to market and sell the first exam gloves manufactured with Vytex Natural Rubber Latex (NRL). Vystar’s patented Vytex NRL is an environmentally friendly material that contains virtually undetectable levels of the antigenic proteins that cause allergic response. Vytex NRL retains and improves on the desirable qualities of latex. Alatech’s exam gloves made with Vytex will carry the protein label claim of 50 µg/dm2 or less of total extractable protein per glove.

Montreal’s Noveko International Inc, which is commercializing antimicrobial filter technology across the world, has until October 23, 2009 to file extra data on its surgical masks with the US regulators. Noveko’s chief operating officer, Alain Bolduc, believes that the company’s proprietary product will be the first one among the antibacterial surgical mask products to receive the FDA approval.

Baxa Ltd has launched its Baxa ZR pre-filled saline IV syringes in Britain. The new line of sterile syringes is safer than manually filled syringes. Easy to administer, ZR is cheaper, more effective and uses lesser shelf-space than its alternatives. They are available in the units of 10 mL and 5 mL. Clear labeling reduces errors in liquid medication. A pull-off cap on the tip hints towards a broken seal, preventing re-use. The shelf life is two-years and the nursing staff can see the expiry dates clearly.

The FDA has approved the Yulex Patient Examination Glove, derived from the guayule bush, a desert plant native to Southwestern U.S.A. According to Daniel Schultz, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, gloves made from guayule latex might prove to be a safer alternative for people who are sensitive to traditional latex, without sacrificing the desirable properties of the latter, such as flexibility and strength.

Hospira Inc. and HealthTrust Purchasing Group, LP have signed a new national agreement through which the HealthTrust member organizations will gain access to Hospira’s general-purpose medication infusion devices, related sets and disposables, along with intravenous (IV) solutions, nutritionals and drug-delivery products. Hospira has already been providing pain-management infusion pumps to HealthTrust members under existing agreements.