Hartalega to launch ‘game-changer’ gloves next year

KUALA LUMPUR: Hartalega Holdings Bhd is targeting to launch its “anti-microbial” nitrile examination gloves which can kill germs within five minutes of contact by next year.

The world’s largest nitrile glove maker said that the product is the world’s first and the development would revolutionise the global healthcare sector.

“This is a game-changer that is set to elevate Malaysia’s glove manufacturing industry and have potentially far-reaching effects on the global healthcare sector,” said managing director Kuan Mun Leong in a statement yesterday.

The anti-microbial activity was said to be concentrated at the outer surface of the gloves and does not leach out.

“Bacteria coming into contact with the glove surface will be exposed to the anti-microbial activity which, in independent testing, has achieved up to a five-log (99.99%) kill within five minutes of contact,” Hartalega said.

Kuan said the anti-microbial nitrile examination gloves would be attractive to hospitals and other users such as residential care homes because of their potential to reduce hospital-acquired infections arising from contamination of the gloved hands of healthcare workers, patients and/or near-patient touch surfaces.

“We have successfully conducted production trials and further clinical studies are planned to quantitate the benefits of using antimicrobial medical examination gloves in clinical settings,” he said.

The company jointly developed the patented technology with UK-based Antimicrobial R&D specialists Chemical Intelligence Ltd, achieving a world-first process for incorporating antimicrobial activity in medical examination gloves during the manufacturing process.