Coronavirus ‘nasal spray’ to be trialled for use in the UK

"The fact that a relatively easy and simple nasal spray could be an effective treatment is welcome news and offers a significant advance in our therapeutic armoury against this devastating disease."

In the ongoing fight against coronavirus, health authorities in the UK will this week begin trials of a groundbreaking nasal spray. The spray is the work of Canadian scientists, but medics in Britain will begin clinical trials of the new treatment tomorrow. Studies conducted in Canada found that the spray stopped coronavirus spreading through the body by trapping it in the nose. Known as the SaNOtize nitric oxide spray, trapping Covid-19 in the nose prevents it from travelling to the respiratory system and inflicting serious damage. Initial UK trials will be performed by the Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey. The trial will be overseen by Pankaj Sharma, director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Research at Royal Holloway, University of London. Sharma said: "The fact that a relatively easy and simple nasal spray could be an effective treatment is welcome news and offers a significant advance in our therapeutic armoury against this devastating disease." Others involved in the trial liken its effect on the body to that of hand sanitiser. Rob Wilson is an ex-Tory MP responsible for managing the logistics of the spray's trial in the UK. He said: "The SaNOtize treatment should be thought of as an effective treatment for the upper airways, similar to when people use hand sanitisers to clean their hands." It is hoped the spray will offer additional protection from the virus, not an alternative to any of the three vaccines approved for use in the UK. Wilson continued: "This simple treatment will assist us in resuming something approaching normal social life. Even if we inhale the virus, we can both protect against it and destroy it by applying the solution on a regular basis." After the hugely promising early studies, scientists in Canada have placed the spray under a second round of clinical trials. The first round found the spray to be 100% effective at preventing coronavirus infection via the nose. Vancouver-based SaNOtize claim the spray works by acting as a barrier in the nose, preventing Covid-19 from attaching to receptors in the nasal passage. Chris Miller, chief science officer at SaNOtize said it "prevents and treats early infection by destroying the virus and impeding viral replication within the cells in the nose."