SaNOtize, a Canadian biotechnology research and development company, recently announced that an antiviral nasal spray (NONS) developed by the company has achieved significant results in a Phase II clinical trial in the UK, killing 99% of the COVID19 virus. The results confirm that the nasal spray is not only safe and effective in combating and preventing the spread of COVID19, but also in reducing the severity of symptoms and the damage caused by the virus in those already infected.
The product has reportedly been approved by Health Canada for Phase II safety and efficacy, and has been shown to be more than 99.9% resistant to different types of COVID viruses in tests conducted by the Independent Antiviral Research Institute at Utah State University in the United States.
The Phase II clinical trial in the UK was conducted using randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled methods.
The results found that among the 79 patients who participated in the trial, those treated with the nasal spray NONS had a 16-fold lower viral load than those treated with placebo. They were able to reduce their body viral load to a minimum of less than 5% within 24 hours of treatment and to less than 1% within 72 hours.
In addition to providing antiviral treatment in the early stages of infection and for those who have not yet been vaccinated, NONS trial results also demonstrate a reduction in infectiousness – the frequency of transmission from infected to non-infected individuals.
“This convenient and portable spray will be very effective in treating and preventing transmission of COVID19. In our trials, patients with very high viral loads experienced significant reductions in their body viral loads after application, meaning the spray could keep the vaccine effective for longer. It could also prevent another major outbreak and have a key role in restarting the economy as well, which I think is a revolutionary breakthrough!” Dr. Stephen Winchester, a British medical virologist, hailed it as a major breakthrough in the human victory over COVID19.
SaNOtize is currently in the process of applying for emergency use authorization from regulatory agencies in the UK and Canada, and obtaining rapid approval as well as launching mass production of the nasal spray.
Gilly Regev, CEO and co-founder of SaNOtize, said, “What I want to do now is to apply this spray to an entire town in India so that everyone knows it can stop the infection.”
“We would have saved a lot of lives if we had been able to launch the market last year.”
Recently, Israeli authorities have approved the drug’s launch and it is expected to be available over the pharmacy counter in a month’s time for $30 per bottle.
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