Prion inactivation detergent for washer-disinfectors (STERIS Hamo 100 PID)

Hamo 100 PID is an alkaline prion inactivation detergent that STERIS launched in the United Kingdom in August 2004 for the wash-disinfect cycle of instrument washers. It was announced alongside a Lancet paper from a French CEA group with STERIS co-authors that tested milder decontamination routes for prion-contaminated instruments. A 2005 trade article reports a 15 minute inactivation claim, CE marking and use in UK hospital sterile service departments. All efficacy statements about the product come from the manufacturer or trade press; the cited paper abstract does not name the product. Information only, not infection control advice.

Key facts

  • STERIS announced Hamo 100 PID (Prion Inactivation Detergent) on 6 August 2004 as a new UK healthcare product, added to the washing-disinfecting cycle of instrument washers.
  • The same announcement re-introduced CIP 100, a cleaning solution for pharmaceutical and biotech production equipment, said to be effective against prions.
  • The company said its technologies were tested with independent prion researchers, and that it helped develop standard test and validation protocols and made them available to others.
  • The press release gave no efficacy numbers or test conditions.
  • The related Lancet paper (Fichet et al., 2004) used steel wires contaminated with hamster scrapie 263K and found that 1N NaOH, 20000 ppm hypochlorite and 134 C autoclaving in water cut infectivity by more than 5.6 log10.
  • The same paper reports that a phenolic disinfectant, an alkaline cleaner, and an enzymatic cleaner followed by vaporised hydrogen peroxide were also effective, which it proposed for instruments and surfaces that cannot tolerate harsh methods.
  • Two STERIS staff (Antloga, McDonnell) are among the paper's ten authors.
  • In April 2005 trade press reported the detergent as removing and inactivating prions in 15 minutes, aimed at sterile service departments between patient uses.
  • The same article reports it as CE marked, on sale in UK hospitals and trialled at an NHS hospital in the Basingstoke area.

Timeline

  1. 2004STERIS press release announces Hamo 100 PID UK launch and the prion research.
  2. 2004Fichet et al. appear in The Lancet (issue dated 7 August 2004, vol 364 issue 9433).
  3. 2005Trade article reports 15 minute prion inactivation detergent on sale in the UK with CE marking.
  4. 2005Product shown at the Clean Hospital Summit, London (14 to 15 April).

Last checked 1 November 2026

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