Healthcare-associated infections continue to be a leading cause of patient complication, extended hospital stays, and added cost of care. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line infections, and biofilm remain stubborn problems that the industry has been trying to solve for decades. The antimicrobial coatings that exist today often leach pharmaceutical agents, lose effectiveness over time, or introduce manufacturing complexity that limits their use.
Many traditional antimicrobial coatings release active agents over time, compromising both safety and long-term efficacy.
Adding antimicrobial functionality to a device coating often comes at the expense of lubricity, durability, or particulate control that device manufacturers depend on.
Antimicrobial chemistries that demonstrate efficacy frequently raise cytotoxicity concerns or carry a heavier regulatory burden, slowing development.
Surmodics antimicrobial coatings are developed in partnership with EVOQ, integrating EVQ-218 silver metamaterial into proven Surmodics hydrophilic systems. The result is a coating platform that delivers antimicrobial efficacy while preserving the lubricity, durability, and particulate performance Surmodics coatings are known for all backed by in-vitro data. The integration is engineered to maintain coating integrity, prevent leaching of active agents, and avoid the cytotoxicity concerns that have historically limited antimicrobial coating adoption.
Antimicrobial efficacy demonstrated in-vitro across multiple bacterial strains with consistent log reduction performance against organisms commonly associated with device-related infection.
Non-leaching, non-ionic metamaterial.* EVQ-218 is stably incorporated into the coating system with no detectable leaching, delivering durable antimicrobial performance over the life of the device.
Preserved coating performance. Lubricity, durability, and particulate control of the base coating are maintained coating performance when EVQ-218 is integrated into the coating
Cytotoxicity-tested metamaterial. EVQ-218 has demonstrated Grade 0 cytotoxicity (non-cytotoxic) in independent ISO 10993-5 testing, with cell viability above 97 percent across all sample conditions.
Surmodics antimicrobial coatings are not standalone products. They are EVQ-218 metamaterial integrated into the Surmodics coating systems already deployed across thousands of commercial medical devices. This integration approach means device manufacturers do not have to choose between antimicrobial protection and the lubricity, durability, or particulate performance their devices require.
A unique form of silver, recognized by the American Chemical Society.
EVQ-218 is not a traditional silver nanoparticle. It is a novel silver metamaterial developed by EVOQ and recognized by the American Chemical Society as a different form of silver. The metamaterial is engineered for stable, non-ionic, non-emissive performance with a uniform particle size distribution and a shelf life measured in years rather than weeks.
Surmodics antimicrobial coatings are designed for the medical device categories where bacterial colonization and biofilm formation drive the most significant clinical complications and cost of care.
Hydrocephalic shunts, neurological guidewires, and catheters where infection of the central nervous system carries elevated clinical risk.
Cardiac rhythm management leads, implantable defibrillator components, and other long-dwell cardiovascular devices where device-related infection requires complex extraction.
Central venous catheters, peripherally inserted central catheters, and midline catheters where central line-associated bloodstream infections drive significant patient complication.
Ureteral stents, Foley catheters, and other urological devices where catheter-associated urinary tract infections remain a leading source of healthcare-associated infection.
Drainage catheters and chest tubes where colonization risk shapes both patient outcomes and length of stay.
Any medical device with extended body contact where bacterial colonization or biofilmformation represents a clinical or economic risk.
The history of antimicrobial coatings on medical devices is a history of tradeoffs. Add silver, lose lubricity. Add an antibiotic, lose long-term efficacy. Add an oxidative layer, complicate manufacturing. Most coating decisions in this category have been about which performance attribute the manufacturer is willing to sacrifice. EVQ-218 silver changes the equation by integrating into proven coating systems without compromising what the coating was already doing.
This is why Surmodics engages at the feasibility stage. The right antimicrobial coating decision is not just about which agent kills bacteria. It is about how that agent integrates with the coating. Surmodics partners with clients to evaluate antimicrobial integration in the context of the full coating system, not as a standalone specification.
Antimicrobial coatings are only part of the answer. The companies that bring better devices to market faster are the ones working with a partner that brings surface chemistry, regulatory experience, and manufacturing scale to the same conversation.
Antimicrobial coating systems integrated with Surmodics hydrophilic coatings, developed and tested against demanding clinical use profiles.
High-capacity manufacturing, deep regulatory pedigree, and almost 50 years of operational maturity behind every program.
Whether you are evaluating coating options at feasibility, troubleshooting performance in development, or scaling toward commercial launch, Surmodics is built to engage at any stage of the program.
The combined Surmodics and EVQ-218 coating system remains in development and has not been reviewed or cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Regulatory clearance would be required prior to any commercial medical device use.
*Data on file
SURMODICS, PRESIDE, SERENE, PHOTOLINK, HYDRBOND and the SURMODICS logo are trademarks of Surmodics Inc., and/or it's affiliates. EVOQ is a trademark of EVOQ Nano, Inc. and/or its affiliates. © 2026 Surmodics, Inc. All rights reserved. SRDX008 06/26
