COVID-19 spray shield
Posted date : May 18, 2021.
A new spray treatment promises to cut the virus off at the nose
Since the beginning of the year, vaccination has dominated the public conversation about the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, a Vancouver-based startup called SaNOtize has been quietly working on treatment − with a nasal spray. According to SaNOtize co-founder Dr. Chris Miller, the spray kills the virus in the nose, thus preventing it from spreading to the lungs.
The company recently announced some impressive results: in clinical trials, the spray reduced COVID-19 levels in the nose by 95% within 24 hours and by more than 99% within three days. Best of all, the spray works against the U.K. variant of the virus and developers expect it to work against other variants as well. “You get exposed, you test positive, and you take this,” says Dr. Miller. Within a couple of days “you’re back out on the street.”
SaNOtize is now seeking Health Canada approval for emergency use of the spray, which contains the naturally occurring disinfectant nitric oxide. If all goes as planned, Canadians will soon be carrying not only masks and hand sanitizer in their pockets or purses, but a small bottle of spray as well. As Dr. Miller sees it, “it will be another tool in your toolbox.”
