New Tissue Tackles Cold, Flu

First it was everything from dish soap to toothbrushes that promised protection against bacteria. Now the maker of Kleenex plans a tissue that kills viruses.

Kimberly-Clark Corp. said Wednesday its newest product will be on store shelves in time for the winter cold and flu season.

The consumer-goods giant has been working on an anti-viral tissue for several years, and company officials believe they've got a winner in Kleenex anti-viral. Their optimism is rooted in the huge success of anti-bacterial products.

"The consumers immediately understand the benefits. It's very intuitive," said Steve Erb, who manages the Kleenex brand.

The tissue serves no direct benefit to the person using it to blow his nose - and who already has a cold or the flu. Kimberly-Clark, it might seem, is counting on consumers' altruism - their desire to spare others from getting sick.

"We're not curing the common cold or the flu," Erb said. "We're hoping to reduce the amount of the virus that gets spread. Coughs and sneezes contain plenty of yucky stuff."

Kimberly-Clark hopes the tissue will build on the success of anti-bacterial products, which range from soaps and laundry detergents to hand gels and toys used in daycare centers. Once used only in hospitals and doctors' offices, anti-bacterial soaps are now a multi-billion-dollar business, dominating the market for liquid soaps.

The success of anti-bacterial products has raised some controversy, however. The American Medical Association expressed concern that their widespread use could help spawn strains of resistant bacteria.

An AMA trustee, Dr. Ron Davis, said he had the same concern about the anti-viral Kleenex.

"All of the hypothetical benefits have to be balanced against possible harm to public health, which may be the increasing resistance of microorganisms to medications," said Davis, who added that he wanted to see more details about the tissue's effectiveness at killing viruses.

By David Koenig