Nasal Spray May Help Combat SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Feb, 2021 - By WMR

In the animal study, the novel product, named INNA-051, reduced the viral infection by as much as 96% in the lab tests.

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) continues to wreak havoc worldwide, the virus has infected more than 35.1 million people and killed more than one million folks worldwide. Researchers across the globe are trying to develop a safe and effective vaccine/treatment to curb the spread of the virus or to combat the virus. Now, Ena Respiratory, an Australia-based biotech company is developing a nasal spray that can help boost the human immune system to fight flu and common colds, significantly reduced the growth of SARS-CoV-2 in a recent animals study.

According to the company, the novel nasal spray not only help treat the novel coronavirus, however, also help prevent it. In the animal study, the novel product, named INNA-051, reduced the viral infection by as much as 96% in the lab tests. The research describes the potential treatment and was published in the preprint server bioRxiv. The company aims to boost the human immune system that helps fight flu and common colds. It works by triggering the innate immune system, which is the body's first line against infection with a pathogen.

Moreover, it also prevents replication and infection of the novel coronavirus in the lab tests. The biggest threat of the current global pandemic is that several individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 are asymptomatic, known as silent spreaders. Thus, the researchers from the Public Health Englandâ€™s National Infection Service wanted to develop a nasal spray that can help prevent the replication of the virus in the nasal area. Moreover, the team analyzed the viral RNA in wash and throat samples collected four days before the viral challenge. The researchers found that INNA-051 reduced levels of viral RNA in the nasal area.