Abstract: Infect Dis Ther (2020) 9:669–675 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-020-00316-3 BRIEF REPORT Povidone-Iodine Demonstrates Rapid In Vitro Virucidal Activity Against SARS-CoV-2, The Virus Causing COVID-19 Disease Danielle E. Anderson . Velraj Sivalingam . Adrian Eng Zheng Kang . Abhishek Ananthanarayanan . Harsha Arumugam . Timothy M. Jenkins . Yacine Hadjiat . Maren Eggers Received: June 2, 2020 / Published online: July 8, 2020 Ó The Author(s) 2020 ABSTRACT Introduction: As of 22 June 2020, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-coronavirus (CoV)-2 has infected more than 8.95 million people worldwide, causing [ 468,000 deaths. The virus is transmitted through respiratory droplets and physical contact from contaminated surfaces to the mucosa. Hand hygiene Danielle E. Anderson, Velraj Sivalingam and Adrian Eng Zheng Kang contributed equally to this work. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121020-00316-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Digital Features To view digital features for this article go to https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12555317. D. E. Anderson (&)
V. Sivalingam
A. E. Z. Kang Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, DukeNUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore e-mail: danielle.anderson@duke-nus.edu.sg A. Ananthanarayanan
H. Arumugam
Y. Hadjiat Mundipharma Singapore Holding Pte. Limited, Singapore, Singapore T. M. Jenkins Mundipharma Research Limited, Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge, UK M. Eggers (&) Labor Prof. Dr. G. Enders MVZ GbR, Stuttgart, Germany e-mail: eggers@labor-enders.de and oral decontamination among other measures are key to preventing the spread of the virus. We report the in vitro virucidal activity of topical and oral povidone-iodine (PVP-I) products against SARS-CoV-2. Methods: Suspension assays were used to assess the virucidal activity of PVP-I against SARSCoV-2. Products were tested at a contact time of 30 s for virucidal activity. Viral titres were calculated using the Spearman–Kärber method and reported as median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50)/mL. Results: All four products [antiseptic solution (PVP-I 10%), skin cleanser (PVP-I 7.5%), gargle and mouth wash (PVP-I 1%) and throat spray (PVP-I 0.45%)] achieved C 99.99% virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2, corresponding to C 4 log10 reduction of virus titre, within 30 s of contact. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of rapid and effective virucidal activity of PVP-I against SARS-CoV-2. PVP-I-based products are widely available for medical and personal use for hand hygiene and oral decontamination, and could be readily integrated into coronavirus disease, COVID-19, infection control measures in hospital and community settings. Keywords: Anti-infective agents; COVID-19; Povidone-iodine; PVP-I; SARS-CoV-2; Upper respiratory tract infections; Viruses Infect Dis Ther (2020) 9:669–675 670 Key Summary Points Why carry out this study? To generate evidence of PVP-I virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. With no definitive treatment or vaccine available as yet for COVID-19, effective infection control measures are needed to limit virus spread. Previous studies showed the efficacy of PVP-I products against similar viruses (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV) and a range of other viruses, but PVP-I has not yet been directly tested against SARS-CoV-2. What was learned from the study? All four tested PVP-I..