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NEW EFFICACY TESTING ALTERNATIVE ANNOUNCED FOR HEPATITIS B VIRUS
Release Date: 08/24/2000
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2000
NEW EFFICACY TESTING ALTERNATIVE
ANNOUNCED FOR HEPATITIS B VIRUS
A notice will be published in the Federal Register on Friday, Aug. 25, announcing the availability of new guidance regarding a hepatitis B virus (HBV) testing alternative. As part of EPA’s commitment to continue to advance scientific methodologies that will protect the public and also reduce animal testing, EPA has endorsed in vitro (test tube) duck assay as the appropriate and preferred alternative to animal testing. The Agency’s Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Scientific Advisory Panel has also endorsed and supported this approach. The in vitro duck assay uses duck hepatitis B virus as a surrogate for human hepatitis B virus. An additional benefit of this method is the potential for a significant reduction in the use of animals for such testing, while maintaining EPA’s high standards for testing accuracy and reliability. EPA has a responsibility under the FIFRA to make sure that pesticidal products making claims to eliminate and suppress microorganisms are, in fact, effective. Health professionals have long recognized the need to prevent HBV infections by using proven disinfectants that kill the virus on contaminated surfaces. Technical information on the antimicrobial web page is at: https://www.epa.gov/oppad001.
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