SAN DIEGO, CA—(Marketwired – Feb 18, 2015) – PURE Bioscience, Inc. (
OTCQB
:
PURE
), creator of the patented silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) antimicrobial, and Intercon Chemical Company, the exclusively licensed manufacturer of SDC–based products, announced today the two companies made a “by invitation only” joint scientific presentation to the attendees of the Cruise Lines International Association's (CLIA) GI Illness Technology Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Attendees of the technology conference were GI Illness task force representatives (including Infectious Disease Control Managers and Medical Directors) of the top 10 cruise lines, including Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines and MSC Cruises. The invitation to present was a direct result of Intercon's sales and industry education efforts.
The joint presentation about the science behind, and the benefits of, PURE's SDC antimicrobial and PURE® Hard Surface disinfectant highlighted dramatic SDC test results to prevent and combat Norovirus and other pathogens. It also included a discussion of SDC's unique and eco–friendly antimicrobial properties.
Ongoing Evaluation and Testing of SDC by a Major Cruise Line
Also included in the presentation was an outline of how PURE Hard Surface disinfectant is presently being evaluated and tested by an unnamed major international cruise line. The product is being applied throughout the day as required under the cruise lines' hygiene operating protocol.
Includes all 'high–touch' surfaces including hand rails, door handles, elevator buttons, restroom surfaces and other areas.
Evaluation will gauge both product performance and crewmember acceptance of PHS.
Hank R. Lambert, Chief Executive Officer of PURE Bioscience, said that, “The invitation for PURE and Intercon to make this scientific presentation to the GI Illness Technology Conference is an important validation of our SDC technology and affords us the opportunity to educate a significant new audience about SDC's unique benefits and how it can help cruise lines protect their brand. According to CLIA, the cruise industry (the fastest–growing travel sector in the world) seeks to keep guests and crew healthy, safe and secure, protecting the environment and providing an industry–leading workplace.
“Intercon Chemical has opened an important new market segment for SDC with this initial evaluation and testing by a leading cruise line. Product acceptance will mark another important technology endorsement for SDC and provide a reference for further adoption elsewhere in the industry. It would also initiate modest new, non–food–safety–related royalties to PURE,” Lambert concluded.
James A. Epstein, President of Intercon Chemical Company, added, “CLIA's members are nearly 60 major cruise lines across the globe and have a combined 400+ ships. I believe that the unparalled efficacy and safety of PURE Hard Surface is the perfect answer to an industry that employs practices and procedures that are substantially more protective of the environment than are required by regulation.
“While everyone knows that it is not possible for any product to completely eradicate Norovirus in public spaces because of consistent reintroduction of the virus by new people entering a space, PURE Hard Surface disinfectant combines superior protection with broad spectrum use as the most effective product to reduce the number of outbreaks and/or number of people infected should an outbreak occur.”
About Cruise Lines International Association
The nonprofit Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is the world's largest cruise industry association and North America's largest global cruise industry organization in terms of cruise line, industry suppliers, and travel agency membership. CLIA represents the interests of member cruise lines, 100 Executive Partners and more than 14,000 Travel agencies. CLIA participates in the regulatory and policy development process while supporting measures that foster a safe, secure and healthy cruise ship environment. CLIA's Executive Partner program includes strategic relationships between key cruise industry suppliers and organizations, cruise lines, ports and shipyards and provides interaction with governmental agencies such as Homeland Security, EPA, CBP, US Coast Guard, and the FBI.
About Intercon Chemical Company
Privately owned Intercon Chemical Company in St. Louis, Missouri, employs more than 120 employees at its 300,000 square foot FDA and EPA–registered cGMP compliant manufacturing facility. Intercon has been a recognized innovator for more than 30 years in the cleaning and sanitation chemical manufacturing service, and custom product development industries with expertise in formulating, manufacturing and marketing liquids, powders and solids as well as packaging, labeling and customer training programs. Intercon provides state–of–the–art chemical products and programs to its network of distributors in multiple markets, including: food service sanitation, healthcare and infection control, facility management companies, janitorial supply companies, commercial floor care, critical process cleaning, food processing facility maintenance, institutional laundry, contract packaging and green cleaning products. For more information about Intercon Chemical Company, please visit www.interconchemical.com and www.interconlabs.com.
About PURE Bioscience, Inc.
PURE Bioscience, Inc. is focused on developing and commercializing our proprietary antimicrobial products primarily in the food safety arena — providing solutions to the health and environmental challenges of pathogen and hygienic control. Our technology platform is based on patented stabilized ionic silver, and our initial products contain silver dihydrogen citrate, or SDC. SDC is a broad–spectrum, non–toxic antimicrobial agent, which offers 24–hour residual protection and formulates well with other compounds. As a platform technology, SDC is distinguished from existing products in the marketplace because of its superior efficacy, reduced toxicity and the inability of bacteria to form a resistance to it. PURE is headquartered in El Cajon, California (San Diego metropolitan area). Additional information on PURE is available at www.purebio.com.
Forward–looking Statements
Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward–looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward–looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward–looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the Company's cash position and liquidity requirements; the Company's failure to implement or otherwise achieve the benefits of its proposed business initiatives and plans; acceptance of the Company's current and future products and services in the marketplace, including acceptance of the Company's PURE Hard Surface disinfectant by SUBWAY® franchisees; the ability of the Company to develop effective new products and receive regulatory approvals of such products, including the required regulatory approvals to use its SDC–based technology as a direct food contact processing aid; competitive factors; dependence upon third–party vendors, including to manufacture its products; and other risks detailed in the Company's periodic report filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our quarterly report on Form 10–Q filed on December 11, 2014. You should not place undue reliance on these forward–looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. By making these forward–looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release.