News Releases from Headquarters›Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP)

EPA Expediting Emerging Viral Pathogens Claim Submissions

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified registrants of disinfectants that due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, the agency is expediting the review of submissions from companies requesting to add Emerging Viral Pathogens claims to their already-registered surface disinfectant labels.

“Today’s action will help move disinfectants that are effective against the novel coronavirus to the market more quickly, without diminishing the scope of the review to ensure safety and quality of the product,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “By prioritizing these reviews, we are ensuring that Americans will have access to all approved and market available surface disinfectant products.”

At this time, only claims for already-registered surface disinfectant products that do not require review of new efficacy data are being expedited. In addition, registrants should not include other label changes typically covered under amendments and notifications as part of the submission to add Emerging Viral Pathogen claims.

To ensure the efficient processing of submissions, EPA is requesting information from the registrants, including:  

• a description of how the product meets the eligibility criteria for use against one or more categories of viral pathogens consistent with the guidance; and,
• the identification of the virus(es) from the product label that it is using to support the emerging viral pathogen claims and the study ID number (MRID) that supports the claim. 

Additional information on already-registered surface disinfectants for use against COVID-19, please visit: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2

Additional information for registrants requesting expedited review, please visit: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/emerging-viral-pathogen-claims-sars-cov-2-submission-information-registrants