Shares of materials engineering group Versarien plc (LON: VRS) are climbing on Tuesday after the company reported the latest version of its mask has passed the rigorous FFP3 testing process.
The company's wholly-owned Chinese subsidiary Beijing Versarien Technology Company Ltd has been working with its partner on further developing the masks which included the testing of a prototype second-generation graphene-enhanced face mask conducted in China, showing a 99.92% anti-viral activity rate against Covid-19.
After testing prototypes of the latest version of the mask, it has been certified as meeting FFP3 standard which is the highest standard under the European EN149 standard for filtering half-face masks.
The FFP3 testing process includes the testing of packaging, robustness of the material, practical performance, total inward leakage, breathing resistance, clogging, compatibility with skin, and carbon dioxide content of the inhalation air.
Testing to the European EN149 standard was carried out in China by SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Services Co. Ltd, a joint venture founded in 1991 between SGS Group and China Standards Science and Technology Group.
“We are delighted that the latest version of our mask has passed the rigorous FFP3 testing process. Whilst we currently have an FFP2 mask on sale that we believe compares very well with other masks available, being able to offer a non-valve FFP3 mask with anti-viral properties is a significant further step and we intend to bring these masks to the market as soon as possible,” said Neill Ricketts, CEO of Versarien.
The company’s shares are priced at 51p, rising 4.72% from Monday's close at 48.70p.
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