Apothicom Cookers and Sterifilt Filters: A Practical Guide for Harm Reduction Programs

LMI TEXTILES · HARM REDUCTION EDUCATION

Sterile syringes are only one part of harm reduction. Preparation equipment matters, too. For U.S. syringe service programs, health departments, and outreach teams getting to know Apothicom, its cookers and Sterifilt filters offer practical tools to address contamination and unwanted particles.

Apothicom is a French harm reduction company. This guide introduces its cooker and filter range, explains the differences between products, and brings together English instructions and video resources for staff and participants.

Why sterile cookers matter

A cooker is the container used during preparation. Household spoons and other improvised containers may carry bacteria. Apothicom’s sterile, single-use cookers provide an alternative and support personal use of preparation equipment. Read Apothicom’s cooker overview.

• Stericup: a kit containing a 2.5 mL cooker, cotton filter, and dry swab.
• Maxicup: a kit containing a larger 5 mL cooker, cotton filter, and dry swab.
• Stericup Single: a 2.5 mL cooker supplied without the other kit components.

Stericup and Maxicup have built-in handles and come in five colors to help participants identify their own equipment and reduce accidental sharing. The larger cooker remains for one person; its size is not a reason to share.

The cotton filter included in a standard Stericup or Maxicup kit is different from the Sterifilt+ antibacterial membrane filter.

Meet the Sterifilt line

Apothicom’s Sterifilt products are sterile, single-use membrane filters. Choosing the correct model matters because particle filtration and antibacterial filtration are different capabilities.

*Apothicom’s current English product page specifies 0.2 µm; some educational materials describe 0.22 µm. Follow the instructions supplied with your exact product.

Compare the filters on Apothicom’s English website. BASIC and FAST should not be presented as antibacterial filters.

Can these products help reduce infection risks?

Apothicom describes Sterifilt+ as designed to reduce risks from injected particles and from bacterial and fungal contamination, including risks associated with abscesses and endocarditis. Sterile cookers address another potential source of contamination. These products work alongside hygiene and new, personal equipment.

Filtration does not make injection risk-free. These filters do not remove HIV or hepatitis viruses and do not make shared equipment safe. Apothicom explains these limitations in its English filtration education booklet.

Watch: cooker and filter demonstrations

These Apothicom demonstrations are listed as English videos on LMI’s Apothicom resource page. Use them alongside the instructions for the exact product supplied.

Stericup and Maxicup: why and how to use

Watch the cooker demonstration on YouTube

How to use Sterifilt membrane filters

Watch the Sterifilt demonstration on YouTube

For another English training resource, Toward the Heart provides a Sterifilt FAST instructional video and a printable English Sterifilt FAST guide. Apothicom also maintains a French demonstration page.

English product instructions

Each manufacturer page below includes an English “Instructions for use” section:

• Stericup instructions
• Maxicup instructions
• Stericup Single instructions
• Sterifilt BASIC instructions
• Sterifilt FAST instructions
• Sterifilt+ instructions

Training should reinforce single use, no sharing, and avoiding contact with the inside of the cooker or the filter membrane. Check syringe compatibility rather than assuming every filter fits every syringe.

Bring supplies and education together

Programs introducing these products can pair distribution with a short demonstration, printed English instructions, and participant feedback. Ask participants about ease of use and equipment fit so education supports practical adoption.

Educational article · Product information and linked resources checked October 29, 2026. Refer to current manufacturer instructions for your exact model.