The Steriwave nasal photodisinfection, developed by Canadian life sciences company Ondine Biomedical, is now available through the NHS Supply Chain, making it significantly easier for NHS hospitals in England and Wales to purchase.
This marks the first time a light-activated antimicrobial has been available through the NHS Supply Chain, a national body which manages the sourcing, delivery and supply of healthcare products to the NHS and healthcare organisations in England and Wales.
Steriwave is an innovative antimicrobial treatment that rapidly eliminates infection-causing pathogens without generating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This innovative solution replaces the traditional antibiotic mupirocin, which is commonly used to decolonise the nose and help prevent healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) but has high rates of AMR and low patient compliance.
In March 2024, Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust became the first in the UK to commercially adopt Steriwave as the standard of care for hip and knee surgery patients to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs). As previously announced, the commercial adoption of Steriwave at Pontefract and Pinderfields NHS Hospitals followed a successful initial deployment at Pontefract Hospital.
Dr. Stuart Bond, Consultant Antimicrobial Pharmacist and Director of Innovation at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, commented: “We are very pleased to be the first NHS Trust to give patients access to this important new technology. SSIs can have a devastating effect on patients and their families, and we are pleased that we have demonstrated the feasibility of using Steriwave in our Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence at Pontefract Hospital. It is a real step forward to making Steriwave more widely available across the Trust.”
Ondine is also collaborating with Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust and Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber to sponsor a health economic analysis with the York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC). The findings of this study, expected later this year, will be used to support further adoption of Steriwave across the NHS and additional surgical applications.
WHO and NICE recommend eliminating harmful pathogens from the nasal cavities before surgery as a key approach to preventing SSIs. Steriwave uses a proprietary photosensitive microbial stain and activating red light to destroy nasal pathogens in a single, five-minute treatment without triggering AMR.
Steriwave has been demonstrated in peer-reviewed studies and over 150,000 treatments to significantly reduce post-surgical infection rates with no serious adverse events reported, improving patient outcomes, reducing antibiotic use, and saving millions annually.
