Polihexanide: a safe and highly effective biocide.

Polihexanide is a broad-spectrum antiseptic with excellent tolerance and a low-risk profile. The physicochemical action on the bacterial envelope prevents or impedes the development of resistant bacterial strains. Thus, polihexanide is particularly suitable and useful in the struggle against multidrug-resistant bacteria. The ecological database is still incomplete. There is some evidence that biodegradation requires adsorption to inert surfaces and that only a small number of bacterial species are capable of utilizing polihexanide.