All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On December 2, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released, and is seeking public comment on, its proposed guidance for antimicrobial pesticide registrants intended to improve the efficiency of Endangered Species Act (ESA) considerations for new active ingredients, new uses, and registration review actions for antimicrobial pesticides. Comments are due on or before January 1, 2025. EPA states that this guidance, when issued in final, will fulfill the requirements outlined in...

On November 20, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of its draft guidance for public comment to support registration and evaluation of efficacy claims for pre-saturated antimicrobial towelettes on hard non-porous surfaces such as stainless steel, metal, glass, hard plastic, or sealed wood, commonly seen in the market as “disinfecting wipes,” using a recently approved standard test method. The draft guidance is available at EPA-HQ-OPP-2024-0414-0004....

On August 29, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of final guidance and methods for evaluating efficacy claims of antimicrobial products registered to reduce bacteria and viruses on soft surface textiles. EPA states that throughout the guidance, the term “soft surface textile” refers to a soft, porous, or non-porous surface that includes the outer surface of non-clothing fabrics/textiles in clinical and...

On July 17, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of draft guidance for the evaluation of products for claims against viruses. This new guidance provides the framework for registrants who seek to make virucidal claims for antimicrobial products. This draft guidance reiterates recommended test methods and regulatory guidance for the addition of virucidal claims to products that meet the criteria for hard surface disinfection claims...

On October 19, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it activated its emerging viral pathogen (EVP) guidance in support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) response to the Ebola virus cases in western Uganda. With EPA’s EVP guidance, additional disinfectants, for which EVP claims have been approved, can be used against the Ebola virus. According to EPA’s press release, EPA developed its EVP...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on May 26, 2022, that on Monday, May 23, 2022, it has activated its Emerging Viral Pathogen (EVP) Guidance for Antimicrobial Pesticides (Guidance) in response to monkeypox, which had been considered to be a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in...

On November 19, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is extending COVID-19 activation of the emerging viral pathogens (EVP) guidance for antimicrobial pesticides indefinitely. EPA states that its EVP guidance for antimicrobial pesticides is a part of the federal government’s pandemic preparedness, allowing manufacturers to provide EPA with data, even in advance of an outbreak, demonstrating that their products are effective against hard-to-kill...

On October 15, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has revised its guidance for evaluating the efficacy of antimicrobial pesticides against Candida auris (C. auris). EPA states that pesticide manufacturers seeking to register their products with a C. auris claim should use this updated guidance to test the effectiveness of the products against a drug-resistant strain of C. auris. EPA states that C. auris is an...

On September 15, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is terminating the Temporary Amendment to Pesticide Registration (PR) Notice 98-10, effective September 15, 2022. EPA states that it is providing 12 months’ notice to registrants before the termination takes effect to give registrants time to adjust their contractual commitments. Registrants must ensure that by September 15, 2022, their product is produced using a source of active...

On October 26, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is soliciting public comment on the interim guidance on registering products that claim to have “residual” or “long-lasting” effectiveness against viruses.  This announcement follows up on EPA’s October 14, 2020, announcement that it would begin expediting its review of products with residual efficacy intended for use against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes...