Pharm2Farm: Revolutionary Anti-viral Face Mask Kills 99.9% of Covid-19 Virus on Contact
11.3.2021 12:30:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
A new anti-viral mask which kills 99.9% of Covid-19 virus within five minutes of contact has been launched today – offering an unparalleled level of protection against viruses not just for those around them but for the wearer too.
Aimed at all types of industry, from hospital and care homes, to schools, to the retail & leisure industries, Pro-Larva differs from conventional masks because, as well as protecting those around the wearer, it protects the wearer themselves, using revolutionary copper nanoparticle technology developed here in the UK.
Antony Legge, Chairman of the parent company Pharm2Farm explains: “Conventional surgical-type TR2 masks only block virus from exiting the mask – they don’t have an active mechanism for killing it once it’s trapped in the mask. Pro-Larva has been designed to use existing barrier technology but also to combine it with α-virion™, a copper nanoparticle technology that kills 99.9% of the virus once it is trapped in the mask.”
This viricidal layer is effective for up to seven hours. Current surgical masks are only effective for around two hours, which requires health care professionals in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) to wear between 4-10 masks per day.
Because of Pro-Larva’s longer effective life this greatly reduces the number of masks required, therefore reducing costs for the hospital or care home. Pro-Larva is also self-sterilising – killing Covid-19 on contact means there is no infection risk from discarded masks after use, removing any potential biohazard.
The effectiveness of the mask against the coronavirus and Influenza has been tested by an independent laboratory and a leading UK university. It has also received European regulatory approval and carries a CE mark, meaning it has been independently reviewed.
The Pro-Larva idea was developed by scientists at Pharm2Farm led by Dr Gareth Cave. Pharm2Farm recently installed a face mask production line in Nottingham, UK and are working with European and global face mask manufacturers to scale-up the supply of Pro-Larva to meet demand.
Dr Gareth Cave, founder of the technology and Pharm2Farm, added: “Helping healthcare professionals protect themselves, their co-workers and patients is very important, and we are keen to support the NHS. However, there are many other categories of frontline workers we are looking to engage with – from schools to care home workers, to the retail and leisure industries – who could benefit from this next generation mask.”
-Ends-
Notes to Editors
About Pharm2Farm
Pharm2Farm is a VC backed Nottingham Trent University spin-out which provides advanced nanoparticle-based solutions for plant, animal and human care through a patented novel production process. For more information, please visit the website: www.pharm2farm.org
About the Pro-Larva mask
The 4 ply anti-viral disposable medical mask from Pharm2Farm Ltd is proven to kill up to 99.9% of coronaviruses and 90% of influenza for up to 7 hours. The mask is splash resistant with a melt blown filter and hypoallergenic layers and uses Pharm2Farm’s proprietary α-virion™ virucidal technology, featuring copper nanoparticles. The Pro-Larva mask is CE marked and its α-virion™ layer has been certified to ISO 18184 standards. ISO 18184 is a standard protocol to quantify the antiviral properties of textile materials. For more information about Pro-Larva mask, its features and suppliers, please visit: https://pro-larva.com/
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210311005101/en/
Contact information
Instinctif Partners
Floyd Jebson / Rozi Morris / Melanie Toyne-Sewell
+44 20 7457 2020
+44 7787134 324
Pro-Larva@Instinctif.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
SWISSto12 and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Announce Strategic Partnership14.9.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
SWISSto12 today announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) (TOKYO: 6503) to pursue joint opportunities on advanced payloads, radio frequency (RF) products, and market development in Japan and the APAC region. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260914982179/en/ Masahiko Arai, Executive Officer and Group President, Defense & Space Systems, Mitsubishi Electric, and Dr. Emile de Rijk, Chief Executive Officer, SWISSto12 Joint opportunities will leverage MELCO’s extensive satellite system expertise and integration capabilities together with SWISSto12’s proprietary 3D-printing designs and processes that form the foundation of its next-generation payloads—smaller, lighter, highly performant, yet built in materially shorter timeframes. The MoU underscores growing market adoption of SWISSto12’s HummingLink payload technology that leverages 3D-printing, with more than 2,000 pr
U.S. FDA Accepts New Drug Application Under Priority Review for Takeda’s Zasocitinib in Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis, with Potential to Redefine Oral Treatment Expectations14.9.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted its New Drug Application (NDA) under Priority Review for zasocitinib (TAK-279) for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Zasocitinib is an investigational, next-generation, highly selective and potent oral tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor, which demonstrated rapid, durable and consistent skin clearance in Phase 3 plaque psoriasis studies.1-3 Addressing unmet needs in psoriasis treatment “Despite progress in psoriasis care, there remains a need for highly effective oral therapies that also address the diverse and often challenging manifestations of psoriasis, including involvement of high-impact sites like the scalp,” said Andy Plump, M.D., Ph.D., president of R&D at Takeda. “Our Phase 3 data demonstrated rapid and durable skin clearance across various patient types and in high-impact and hard-to-treat areas. Based on the results across nearly 3,000 patients, zaso
Thales Builds Cryptographic Security for the Age of AI and Post-Quantum Computing14.9.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
According to the 2026 Thales Data Threat Report, the threat of Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL) attacks was the top-cited risk, with 59% of organizations reporting that they are prototyping and evaluating post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms to prepare for the quantum era. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260804748922/en/ ©Thales To help organizations turn this readiness into deployment,Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies, today announced the launch of Luna 8, its next-generation hardware security module. Designed for the transition to post-quantum cryptography, Luna 8 enables organizations to securely store, protect, and manage cryptographic keys with market-leading performance, scalability, and speed. As organizations face growing pressure from emerging quantum threats, expanding AI workloads and evolving stringent regulatory requirements, Luna 8 provides the performance, security and cryp
Focused Support Launches Cavok STRIKE to Expand Link-16 Participation Across the Joint Force14.9.2026 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
Focused Support LLC today announced the launch of Cavok STRIKE, an integrated software capability that expands the Link-16 tactical battlespace picture by enabling additional operational platforms to participate in the Link-16 network. Modern battlefields have increasing numbers of unmanned systems, sensors, and supporting platforms operating throughout the joint battlespace. The rapid proliferation of Group 1, 2, and 3 UAS, including both expendable and recoverable systems, has created a growing need to integrate these assets into the broader tactical network. Many of these platforms provide operationally relevant information but have historically remained outside the Link-16 network due to limitations in size, weight, power, platform integration complexity, or acquisition cost. Cavok STRIKE addresses this gap by enabling platforms to participate in the Link-16 network as non-command-and-control participants. This allows those platforms to interoperate with traditional Link-16 platfor
Fujirebio Expands Access to Blood-based Neurology Testing in Brazil with ANVISA Market Authorization for Lumipulse® G NfL Blood and Lumipulse G pTau 217 Plasma14.9.2026 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
H.U. Group Holdings Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Fujirebio today announced that the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) has granted market authorization for the Lumipulse G NfL Blood and Lumipulse G pTau 217 Plasma assays for use on the fully automated LUMIPULSE® G immunoassay platform in Brazil. “ANVISA authorization of the Lumipulse G NfL Blood and Lumipulse G pTau 217 Plasma assays marks another important step in our mission to expand access to reliable, clinically meaningful blood-based biomarkers for clinicians and patients worldwide,” said Christiaan De Wilde, CEO of Fujirebio Europe N.V. “By making both neurological biomarker assays available to laboratories on a single, fully automated platform, we are helping support more informed clinical decision-making across a broad range of neurological conditions and throughout the diagnostic pathway.” The Brazilian ANVISA authorizations are based on the already CE marked in vitro diagnostics (IVD) approvals of these two
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom