The fight against Covid-19 continues
A further tool in the fight against coronavirus is now upon us, thanks to a new Covid nasal spray application. This new innovation has been developed by Vancouver-based Biotech company, SaNOtize Research & Development Corp, and was tested in Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals in Surrey.
What's more, it looks to be more than 95% effective according to a recent trial.
The trial
The treatment is found to have reduced SARS-CoV-2 log viral load (coronavirus) by more than 95% in infected participants within 24 hours of treatment. Furthermore, it is believed to be more than 99% effective after 72 hours.
After rigorous testing, the trial concluded that treatment accelerated clearance of the virus by a factor of 16-fold, against a placebo control group and was carried out on 79 confirmed cases of Covid-19 - the majority heavily-infected with the UK variant.
Not only were no adverse events were recorded in the group but the success of the trail has meant that it has been officially submitted for Emergency Use in the UK and Canada immediately.
NONS
As a result, SaNOtize's 'Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray' (NONS) is new, safe and effective antiviral treatment that could prevent the transmission of Covid-19, as well as shortening its course.
Dr. Chris Miller - Chief Science Officer and SaNOtize co-founder explained that "NONS destroys the virus, blocks entry into and halts viral replication within the nasal cavity, which rapidly reduces viral load."
Miller stated, "there is currently a lack of an antiviral therapy that is effective against Covid-19 and its variants, can prevent or shorten the course of the disease, reduce damage, lower the severity of Covid-19, and can be made widely and readily available to the public."
"This is what makes NONS unique", he said, "and enables it to stand alone from any other novel therapeutic application."
Moreover, this more accessible and non-intravenous treatment should reduce the severity of symptoms and damage in those already infected, as well as the anxieties surrounding current vaccinations. For instance, despite having been disproved,
many still fear that vaccines can cause blood clots.
NONS is the only alternative so far proven to reduce viral load in humans without monoclonal antibody treatment. Monoclonal antibodies are highly specific, expensive and must be administered intravenously in a clinical setting - i.e. the jab performed by a medical professional.
A highly-accessible step forward
Medical Virologist and Chief Investigator for the clinical trial had this to say: "I expect this to be a major advance in the global battle against the devastating human impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic."
"This simple portable nasal spray could be highly effective in the treatment of COVID-19 and reducing onward transmission. Our trial included patients with a variant of concern and high viral loads yet still demonstrated significant reductions in the levels of SARS-CoV-2".
He went on to say that NONS "could be critical in supporting vaccines, preventing future outbreaks and safely reopening economies. Simply stated, I think this could be revolutionary.”
The SaNOtize treatment is designed to kill the virus in the upper airways, preventing it from incubating and spreading to the lungs. It is works based on nitric oxide (NO), a natural nanomolecule produced by the human body with proven anti-microbial properties shown to have a direct effect on the virus that causes Covid-19.
The 'NO' part of NONS has been declared safe for humans for decades and is identical to the one used to treat
persistent pulmonary hypertension or 'Blue Baby Syndrome' in newborn babies.
Authorisation & Rollout
As alluded to already, SaNOtize has already submitted Emergency Use Authorization for the treatment in the UK and Canada. Swift approval and ramp-up of manufacturing could facilitate an almost immediate safe return to work, school and society.
Crucially, this new treatment could help spur on an economic recovery, as the world is still months – if not years – ahead of full global vaccination.
Not only would distribution of the nasal spray help to keep people safe and healthy, but the ease in manufacturing, storing and administering means it could soon be widely available at low-cost for long-term care facilities, healthcare and frontline workers, as well as the general population.
In addition to providing antiviral treatment in the early stages of infection and those who have yet to be vaccinated, NONS could also reduce infectivity. Basically, the frequency of transmission from an infected person to a non-infected person could be reduced significantly.
These latest results from the UK trial in Surrey corroborate the results of the earlier trials conducted in Canada and by an independent lab in Utah State University’s Antiviral Research Institute.
SaNOtize's CEO and co-founder of SaNOtize, Dr. Gilly Regev, said that "now that NONS has been demonstrated to be safe and effective, we must move with urgency to get it into the hands of the public where it can help bring an end to the pandemic, accelerate a return to normality".
She said that while "the human toll of this disease cannot be expressed simply in numbers [..] combined with the roll-out of vaccines, NONS can help get the world back on its feet.”, as well as "prevent future outbreaks of COVID-19 and its variants".
