Israel has started producing nasal spray capable of fighting 99% of coronavirus

Israeli factory started producing a nasal spray that could prevent most COVID-19 infections around the world, Gilly Regev, a biochemist raised in Israel and co-founder of the company that developed the spray, told The Times of Israel.

This is the company SaNOtize which will produce the product called Enovid in Canada and that it will be marketed as capable of killing 99.9% of viral particles. “Wait our nasal spray is saving many lives now people in countries waiting for the vaccine, “Regev said, adding that” it will be affordable and can be used as prevention, to protect against any respiratory viral infection. “

The biochemist argued that it has been shown its effectiveness in the laboratory against a wide range of viruses, and said newer variants of the coronavirus would not interfere with its effectiveness. “It contains a broad spectrum antiviral that kills all viruses and all variants,” he said.

According to Regev, Enovid it is an “equivalent to hand sanitizer for the nose”, and said it creates a physical barrier in the nasal passages to stop viruses with a “chemical barrier” of nitric oxide, which is known for its antimicrobial qualities. “Nitric oxide means it’s a special spray that not only blocks viruses, but actually kills them,” he explained.

Production and marketing in progress

Israel’s health ministry provisionally approved its sale as a suitable medical device for people 12 years of age and older – meaning it could be used by many people who are not yet approved for coronavirus vaccines – with packaging that says: “Scientifically proven to kill 99.9% of viruses in 2 minutes”. In this way, Israel will become the first country in which the spray is sold.

For its part, New Zealand also approved its sale, and approval is sought in other countries, including the UK.

The Ness Ziona factory near Tel Aviv works at produce a reserve of 200,000 to 500,000 bottles by May, this was confirmed by Regev. “After that, we hope to reach a capacity of one million bottles per month,” said the biochemist, adding: “I hope this product will bring pride and jobs to Israel.”

Efficacy tests

The statement on the package is based on laboratory tests in which a number of live viruses have been sprayed, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2. The experiments were carried out outside the human body, in test tubes, and they don’t provide definitive proof of the nasal spray’s effectiveness, although Regev said they are very encouraging. Likewise, there are other surveys from which the possibility arose that the aerosol reduces the impact of COVID-19 among infected people.

Last week, SaNOtize and the Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey, UK, announced clinical trial results indicating that The spray could prevent the transmission of COVID-19, shorten its course and reduce the severity of symptoms and damage in people already infected. The study has been submitted to a major medical journal for review and publication.

The nasal spray was fully developed during the pandemic, because it was invented primarily to fight the flu. Its innovation is the nitric oxide dosage procedure. “It’s usually packaged in gas cylinders and delivered to hospitals, but we wanted a convenient way to deliver it as a liquid antimicrobial and we’ve spent the past 12 years developing it,” Regev said.

The ingredients in the spray mix when administered to form nitric oxide. “All the components are widely used in the food industry and have a very high safety profile,” he said. Each bottle contains a one-month supply for a person to spray twice a day to protect themselves from viruses.

“In theory, we could have released it a year ago, but we had to negotiate regulatory approval. It’s the biggest frustration, that We’ve been trying to market it around the clock for a year, and it could have saved many lives.. I think it would have prevented infections and therefore reduced the number of deaths, ”Regev lamented.

DT / FL