Covid vaccines have helped turn the tide in the US’s pandemic response, but they are not a silver bullet. The infection continues to spread widely, and protection weakens over time. In the midst of this uncertain situation, a new study highlights the preventive advantages of a specific nasal spray, arguing persuasively for its use as an adjunctive medication.
The advantages of vaccination are obvious by now: evidence clearly reveals that the current vaccinations approved for use in the US combat the viral pathogen by reducing its negative effects on the body. Transmissibility, on the other hand, remains high, and mounting data suggests that vaccine protection is waning with time.
This trend is particularly troubling in light of the Delta variant’s spread.
Multiple actions targeted at keeping dangerous coronavirus mutations at bay will undoubtedly be welcomed.
A recent study backs up the benefits of Viraleze, an antiviral nasal spray that has been demonstrated to lower the pathogen’s viral load.
The findings show that greater use of antiviral nasal sprays could supplement and perhaps compensate for some of the vaccine’s shortcomings.
Starpharma, the biotech firm behind the nasal spray, announced the publication of new data on Monday demonstrating the potential of its Viraleze antiviral nasal spray to protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection in an animal challenge model.
When compared to saline-control, Viraleze nasally reduced viral load in the lungs and trachea of animals challenged with COVID-19 by more than 99.9 percent.
The results of the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Viruses provides validation for Viraleze against COVID-19.
SPL7013, the antiviral drug in Viraleze, has been demonstrated to exhibit significant antiviral and virucidal activity in numerous SARS-CoV-2 variants in vitro, including inactivation of 99.9 percent of the Delta variant.
Chemicals are known as virucidal agents attack and inactivate viral particles outside of the cell.
Viraleze was created to be used in the nasal cavity to assist in minimizing respiratory virus exposure, especially COVID-19.
COVID-19 vaccines are very successful in reducing hospitalization and mortality, according to global data, although vaccinated individuals can still become infected and spread virus.
Complementary therapies, such as Viraleze, may be utilised to reduce viral load at the primary site of infection and may also be useful in reducing infectious virus shedding.
A recent study, carried out at The Scripps Research Institute, employed a humanized COVID-19 mouse model recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The results indicate that nasal administration of Viraleze considerably decreased the Covid virus load in the respiratory tract, blood, and other organs of Viraleze-treated animals.
The recent findings further establish nasal sprays’ robust antiviral effectiveness against a variety of respiratory viruses including coronavirus subtypes.
Starpharma CEO, Dr Jackie Fairley, said: “In this study Viraleze was highly protective against SARS-CoV-2 challenge in an established SARS-CoV-2 animal model of coronavirus infection.
“These results provide compelling data supporting the utility of a broad-spectrum nasal spray, like Viraleze, to potentially reduce exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus in respiratory tract and other organs.
“One of the potential advantages of Viraleze is its ability to significantly reduce viral load in the respiratory tract, which could lower both the transmissibility of the virus to others and severity of disease.”