Nasal Spray Developed To Help Fight COVID-19

By Jess Distill 15. október 2020 17:00

Icelandic company Kerecis has developed a nasal and oral spray that kills 99.97% of the COVID-19 virus, RÚV reports.

The spray is based on a technology called Viruxal, which is used in wound dressings produced by the company. It is already widely used in hospitals to help heal wounds and prevent infections. When an emergency situation hit Italy due to COVID-19 in the spring, Viruxal bandages were used on the mouths of patients who had initial symptoms of the virus. Statistics show that the use of these bandages was very successful.

”The idea is that if you want extra protection, if you are going out to eat, on a bus or on a plane. You can spray this in your nose and mouth for added protection”, says Guðmundur Fertram Sigurjónsson, CEO of Kerecis. The spray should be used only as a preventative measure against COVID-19, and using it does not mean that other personal preventive measures, such as hand washing and wearing masks, can be forgotten.

How it works

People infected with COVID-19 mainly catch the virus through the nose. Here the virus settles in the mucous membrane in the nose, where it multiplies and spreads. Guðmundur explains: “The spray contains fatty acids that dissolve the virus, or the fat layer on the virus. Just as hand soap does on our hands, this forms a protective layer that dissolves the virus when inhaled.”

Utah State University’s research into the spray shows great promise, with 99.97% of the virus being destroyed when mixed with the spray in test tubes. Research is currently underway on patients at Landspítali under the supervision of the COVID-19 outpatient department. The spray is already available in pharmacies in Iceland, with the international market set to move in the next few months.

The post Nasal Spray Developed To Help Fight COVID-19 appeared first on The Reykjavik Grapevine.

Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy Grapevine’s content and want to help it’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining the High Five Club.

You can also check out Grapevine’s shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.

Athugið. Vísir hvetur lesendur til að skiptast á skoðunum. Allar athugasemdir eru á ábyrgð þeirra er þær rita. Lesendur skulu halda sig við málefnalega og hófstillta umræðu og áskilur Vísir sér rétt til að fjarlægja ummæli og/eða umræðu sem fer út fyrir þau mörk. Vísir mun loka á aðgang þeirra sem tjá sig ekki undir eigin nafni eða gerast ítrekað brotlegir við ofangreindar umgengnisreglur.