Kleenex Brand Launches New Anti-Viral Tissue

DALLAS -- Kimberly-Clark Corporation announces a new facial tissue product from the Kleenex brand designed to kill viruses that cause colds and the flu.  The Kleenex brand

Anti-Viral tissue is designed to be the only facial tissue that offers these benefits.

Kleenex Anti-Viral tissue will begin shipping in late August and will be available at retail outlets throughout the United States by early October 2004.

"With the new Kleenex Anti-Viral tissue, Kimberly-Clark is extending the

Kleenex brand further into the realm of personal and public health," said

Robert P. van der Merwe, group president of North Atlantic Family Care for

Kimberly-Clark.  "This new product helps address an important health issue

that affects millions of people each year.  Kleenex Anti-Viral tissue is the

only facial tissue that kills cold and flu viruses, providing consumers

another tool in their fight to help stop them.

 "The Kleenex brand has helped bring comfort and peace-of-mind to consumers

for the past 80 years.  Kleenex Anti-Viral tissue was developed in response to

the needs of our consumers and is specifically designed to help stop viruses

that can cause colds and the flu."

Kleenex Anti-Viral tissue relies on a patented three-ply tissue

design with a moisture-activated middle layer that is treated with an anti-

viral formula.  When moisture from a cough or sneeze hits the middle layer,

Kleenex Anti-Viral tissue begins working immediately, ultimately killing 99.9 percent

of cold and flu viruses in the tissue within 15 minutes.  The formula is made

from citric acid and sodium lauryl sulfate, common ingredients found in

everyday consumer products.  Citric acid is used as a flavoring agent in soft

drinks, while sodium lauryl sulfate is found in many shampoos and detergents.

"Through research, we learned that it's increasingly important to

consumers to protect their families against common cold and flu viruses," said

van der Merwe. "In fact, 90 percent of consumers we spoke with were interested in

purchasing Kleenex Anti-Viral tissues and said they'd recommend the product

to others."

According to Dr. Winkler G. Weinberg, a leading expert on infectious

disease and author of No Germs Allowed, How To Avoid Infectious Disease at

Home and On the Road, the first line of defense for preventing the spread of

colds and the flu should be using a disposable tissue when you cough or

sneeze.

"Kleenex Anti-Viral tissue sets a new standard in the ongoing battle

against cold and flu viruses," said Weinberg.  "Most consumers don't

realize that colds and the flu traditionally spread in different ways.  Cold

viruses are generally transferred through the hands when we touch something or

someone infected with these germs and then touch our mouth, nose and eyes.

Flu viruses, however, are usually transmitted through droplets coughed or

sneezed into the air."

In addition to the moisture-activated middle layer that is scientifically

proven to kill 99.9 percent of cold and flu viruses in the tissue, a subtle blue dot

pattern on the middle layer visually distinguishes Kleenex Anti-Viral tissue

from other facial tissue products.

Kleenex Anti-Viral tissue will be available in two package sizes, an upright 60-count and a family size 120-count, affordably priced with suggested retail prices of $1.39 and $1.99, respectively.

Source: Kimberly-Clark Corporation