High street recruiter Pertemps has invested a “significant” amount of money in a cream designed to combat hospital superbug MRSA.

The firm decided to back the new formula, designed by former truck driver Brian Bennett from Nuneaton, after witnessing its success in clinical trials.

Pertemps chairman Tim Watts said: “When Brian Bennett came to me for help I was fairly sceptical about the cream. Clinical trials showed it killed the superbug and almost all bacteria. The preparation lotion is a major breakthrough in protecting staff and patients. We hope it makes money.”

An order for 10,000 bottles of the cream, called Triclosan, has arrived from Korea and will be mass-marketed by Bennett under the banner of Hygieia Pharmaceuticals.

The company will initially be based at Pertemps’ headquarters in Meridien, Warwickshire.

Bennett originally developed the cream in his garage to treat his wife’s dermatitis. It includes a standard barrier cream, aloe vera, vitamin E, and jojoba oil, and is combined with anti-bacterial agents and water repellent solutions.