21st February 2022

VENTURE LIFE GROUP PLC

("Venture Life" "VLG" or the "Company")

UK-led clinical trial suggests certain types of mouthwash can inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in the mouth for up to 1 hour

Venture Life (AIM: VLG), a leader in developing, manufacturing and commercialising products for the self-care market, announced on 24^th August 2020 its involvement in a UK-led clinical trial, with one of its key oral care brands containing Cetylpyridinium Chloride ("CPC") technology, on patients with COVID-19.

Today, results of a small-scale clinical trial led by Cardiff University indicate that a mouthwash containing the antimicrobial agent CPC can inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in the mouth for up to 1 hour.

78 patients were recruited for the trial, with 27 patients having 'live' virus in their saliva. The results, published on preprint server medRxiv, showed that a 30-second rinse with a CPC-based mouthwash in seven hospitalised COVID-19 patients eliminated the virus in the saliva by >99.99% at one minute, and by >99.8% at 60 minutes. In three out of the seven patients (around 40%) no live virus was detected at any time after the initial rinse.  

The CPC-based mouthwash used in the Cardiff University study was one of a number of mouthwash formulations tested, alongside a saline control.

Further large-scale clinical trials are now needed to establish whether CPC-based mouthwashes could provide a simple, yet effective preventative measure to help in the fight against COVID-19, for example, as part of oral hygiene measures in hospitals or other healthcare settings.

The clinical study was part-funded by Venture Life Group, the manufacturer of the CPC-based mouthwash used, but there was no input in design, data analysis or drafting of the research paper.   In addition to being published on medRxiv, the results have been submitted to a journal for peer review and we await the outcome of this process.

Link to research paper

https://medrxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2022.02.16.22270842v1

About Venture Life (www.venture-life.com)

Venture Life is an international consumer self-care company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercialising products for the global self-care market. The Group's product portfolio includes key products such as Dentyl mouthwash and the UltraDEX oral care range, as well as the Balance Active range in the area of women's intimate healthcare, the Lift and Glucogel product ranges for hypoglycaemia, products for fungal infections and proctology, and dermo-cosmetics for addressing the signs of ageing. Its products are sold in over 90 countries worldwide and the Company has operations in the UK, Italy, The Netherlands and Sweden.

The products, which are typically recommended by pharmacists or healthcare practitioners, are available primarily through pharmacies and grocery multiples. In the UK and The Netherlands these are supplied direct by the company to retailers, elsewhere they are supplied by the Group's international distribution partners. 

Through its two Development & Manufacturing operations in Italy and Sweden, the Group also provides development and manufacturing services to companies in the medical devices and cosmetic sectors.