Cupron gets EPA approval for fungus-fighting claim

Cupron, a company based in Richmond and Herzylia, Israel,  has received the green light to claim that its copper-enhanced material can kill the active fungus in athlete’s foot.

Cupron-enhanced socks already are issued to some military organizations around the world because of their ability to fight the fungus.

In 2010, Cupron supplied its anti-fungal socks to Chilean miners who were trapped underground for weeks.

The Environmental Protection Agency approved Cupron to make the Public Health Claim its copper-enhanced textile material can kill more than 99.9 percent the fungus after 12 hours of contact.
The EPA’s decision marks the third Public Health Claim awarded to Cupron and the first highlighting the anti-fungal capability of its copper-based technology.

Public Health Claim covers the use of Cupron anti-fungal fibers in a variety of products, including socks, shoe inserts and bathmats.

“We anticipate announcing in the coming months the specific products that will employ the successfully tested Cupron fiber technology,” Chris Andrews, Cupron’s president – Americas, said in a statement. “Our initial focus will be on socks and marketed broadly to those who may suffer from athlete’s foot.”

In winning approval from the EPA, the copper-enhanced textile had to achieve a 100-percent pass rate at an independent testing facility. Samples were tested under a variety of conditions. They also had to maintain their fungus-fighting strength after repeated exposure.

In January 2013, Cupron announced the deployment of textiles and hard surfaces in a multi-site, large-scale clinical evaluation with Sentara Healthcare in Norfolk. Further clinical testing programs are expected to be announced.