USA – An antiseptic gel to help prevent umbilical cord infections in newborn babies, which was developed from a mouthwash, has been given the green light by European regulators.

GlaxoSmithKline developed the product, called Umbipro, with the charity Save the Children for use in developing countries. The gel will be sold at a not-for-profit price and could save 422,000 lives over five years, according to UN estimates. Scientists reformulated the chlorhexidine solution found in its Corsodyl mouthwash into a gel that can be applied to newly cut umbilical cords. There is a greater risk of infection – a major cause of newborn deaths – in developing countries across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where more births happen at home and unsterile materials such as dung and ash are traditionally used on the umbilical cord stump.(theguardian)…[+]