A nasal spray that will be commercialized as capable of killing 99.9% of the virus particles has started to leave the production lines of an Israeli factory.
The spray could have prevented much of the worldwide COVID-19 infection, its inventor, Dr. Gilly Regev, told The Times of Israel.
“We hope that our nasal spray will save many lives in countries that are waiting for the vaccine,” said Regev, a biochemist created in Israel who co-founded the company SaNOtize and developed the spray in Canada. “This will be affordable and can be used for prevention, to protect against any respiratory viral infection.”
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She said it has been shown to be effective in the laboratory against a wide range of viruses, and said that new variants of the coronavirus do not interfere with its effectiveness, emphasizing: “It contains a broad-spectrum antiviral that kills all viruses and all variants. ”
3D medical animation still filmed showing the structure of a coronavirus (https://www.scientificanimations.com/coronavirus-symptoms-and-prevention-explained-through-medical-animation/)
Regev called Enovid an “equivalent hand sanitizer for the nose” and said that it creates a physical barrier in the nasal passages to prevent viruses, along with a “chemical barrier” of nitric oxide, which is known for its antimicrobial qualities. “Nitric oxide means that this is a special spray that not only blocks viruses, but kills them,” she said.
Israel will become the first country where the spray is sold. The Ministry of Health has given provisional approval for its sale as a medical device suitable for people aged 12 and over – meaning it can be used by many who have not yet been approved for coronavirus vaccines – with the packaging stating: “Tested scientifically to kill 99.9% of viruses in 2 minutes. ”
A bottle of Enovid, a new antiviral spray for the nose that is being produced in Israel (courtesy of SaNOtize)
It has also been approved for sale in New Zealand and approval is being sought in other countries, including the United Kingdom.
Regev said the factory, in Ness Ziona, near Tel Aviv, is working to produce a stock of 200,000 to 500,000 bottles by May. “After that, we hope to reach the capacity of one million bottles a month,” said the graduate of the Hebrew University, adding: “I hope this product will bring pride and jobs to Israel.”
The packaging statement is based on laboratory tests, during which a series of live viruses, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2, were sprayed. She acknowledged that the experiments took place outside the human body, in test tubes, and did not provide definitive evidence of how effective the spray would be in the nasal passages – although she said that they are very encouraging.
Separate research, which is not mentioned on the packaging, suggested that the spray may lessen the impact of COVID-19 among those who are infected.
Last week, SaNOtize and Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey, UK, announced the results of clinical trials indicating that the spray could prevent the transmission of COVID-19, shorten its course and reduce the severity of symptoms and damage in those already infected. The study was submitted to an important medical journal for review and publication.
Family members wearing safety equipment visit a relative in the coronavirus ward of Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem on February 3, 2021 (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
The spray was fully developed at the time the pandemic began, as it was mainly invented to fight the flu. Its innovation is the nitric oxide dosing procedure. “It usually comes in gas cylinders and is usually delivered to hospitals, but we wanted a practical way to deliver it as a liquid antimicrobial and we have spent the past 12 years developing this,” said Regev.
The ingredients in the spray mix when administered to form nitric oxide, she said, noting: “All components are widely used in the food industry and have a very strong safety profile.” Each bottle contains a month-long supply for one person to spray twice a day for virus protection.
She said: “Theoretically, we could have distributed it a year ago, but we needed to negotiate regulatory approval. This is the biggest frustration, that we are trying 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for a year, to bring him to the market, and he could have saved many lives. I believe that it would have prevented infections and, therefore, reduced deaths ”.
