Selektope voted for European Union approval

The antifouling biocide Selektope®has been endorsed by the EU Standing Committee on Biocidal Products and will be approved EU wide from the 1^st of January 2016.

On the 8^th of July, the European Union Standing Committee on Biocidal Products gave a positive vote for Selektope to be approved under the EU Biocidal Products Regulation as an antifouling substance for use in both professional and non-professional antifouling products.

“We are very pleased to receive the final confirmation that Selektope complies with the demanding EU legislation for biocides. It has been a long process so we are very eager to take the next step towards having Selektope-containing antifouling products on the European market” says Dr Cecilia Ohlauson, Regulatory Affairs Manager for I-Tech. Selektope has already received regulatory approval in Japan, Korea and China and is currently under evaluation in the USA.

“The vote for approval under one of the world’s most rigorous environmental standards is a huge achievement and sets an important milestone for our company”, says I-Tech CEO, Mr Philip Chaabane. “We are particularly proud that we can now serve our customers in all key markets of the commercial shipping community as well as the important yachting market in the EU”. Through the approval, Selektope confirms its high efficacy and positive environmental aspects for a wide range of use within the marine sector.

Selektope® – further improving antifouling paintsSelektope introduces for the first time ever a pharmacological mode of action to combat barnacle settlement. By temporarily stimulation of the octopamine receptor, the barnacle larvae’s swimming behaviour is activated and the organisms are deterred from the hull. These ground-breaking discoveries enable unrivalled power at very low concentrations, yet within the limits of rigorous risk assessments. Selektope is an organic, non-metal compound with efficacy proven at 0.1% w/w.

About I-Tech
I-Tech is a Gothenburg based company with global reach, holding all IP and regulatory rights to its all new antifouling agent Selektope (generic name, medetomidine). Relying on academic research in Gothenburg, I-Tech has since 2006 successfully transformed the scientific invention into a commercially ready and available antifouling agent. I-Tech has had several listings as top start-up company and is now an entirely commercially driven company.

I-Tech is a privately held company, supported by Swedish Energy Association, the European Innovation Initiative Eco-Innovation and FP7 SeaFront. The company is a member of the Astra Zeneca BioVentureHub.

Contact details

Philip Chaabane, CEO, Philip.chaabane@i-tech.se, +46 (0) 73 910 37 08

Cecilia Ohlauson, Regulatory affairs manager, Cecilia.ohlauson@i-tech.se, +46 (0)70 603 42 36