Nippon and Corning jointly launch antiviral paint in China

With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing more companies to secure fresh momentum from healthcare-related products and solutions, Nippon Paint China launched its first antiviral paint — Antivirus Kids Paint earlier this week to further enrich its product lines in China.

By using one of Corning Incorporated's latest technology solutions — Corning Guardiant — a novel antimicrobial paint additive containing copper ions, the product made its Asian debut in China. Based on Nippon Paint and Corning's cooperation, the new product is able to kill 99.9 percent of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on coated surfaces. The test results were carried out in compliance with rigorous test protocols approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Before the antiviral paint product was commercially available, the two companies jointly donated the first batches of Antivirus Kids Paint tested in US independent labs to four Chinese hospitals designated by the Department of Commerce of Hubei province with surface space spanning a total area of 120,000 square meters in March.

Eric Chung, president of Nippon Paint China, a subsidiary of the Singapore-based Nipsea Group, said as healthcare and disease prevention have become the new normal in many parts of the world, the company believes that science and technology will play an increasingly important role in creating value and providing a healthier and better lifestyle for consumers.

"We are pleased to work with Nippon Paint to jointly provide consumers with an additional layer of protection against viruses on contaminated surfaces. The new product creates a surface with in-built antimicrobial function, adding another layer of sustained protection to temporary disinfection measures such as liquid disinfectants," said Joydeep Lahiri, division vice-president and program director, Specialty Surfaces, Corning.

Scientific studies classify viruses into three major groups based on their structure and resistance to disinfectants: enveloped viruses, large non-enveloped viruses and small non-enveloped viruses. Non-enveloped viruses can survive on surfaces for several weeks and are considered harder to kill than enveloped viruses.

Li Jingsheng, a researcher at the Beijing-based Institute of Industrial Economics, which is a part of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China's healthcare market is vital for global companies due to its massive size and fresh growth opportunities arising from the ever-deepening reform and opening-up.

The government's efforts over the years to meet people's growing demand for higher-quality healthcare services and products also brightened the prospects of the healthcare market, he added.