A nasal spray that will be marketed as capable of killing 99.9 percent of virus particles has started rolling off production lines in an Israeli factory.
The spray could have prevented much of the world’s COVID-19 infection, says its inventor, Dr. Gilly Regev.
She said that it has been shown to be effective in the lab against a wide range of viruses, and said that new variants of the coronavirus won’t interfere with its effectiveness, emphasizing: “It contains a broad spectrum antiviral which kills all viruses and all variants.”
It has also been approved for sale in New Zealand, and approval is being sought in other countries, including the UK.
Regev said that the factory, in Ness Ziona near Tel Aviv, is working to produce a stock of 200,000 to 500,000 bottles by May. “After this we’re hoping to get to capacity of a million bottles a month,” the Hebrew University graduate said, adding: “I hope this product will bring pride and jobs to Israel.”
The claim on the packaging is based on testing in labs, during which a range of live viruses, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2, were subjected to the spray. She acknowledged that the experiments took place outside the human body, in test tubes, and do not provide definitive proof of how effective the spray will prove in nasal passages — though she said they are very encouraging.
Separate research, which isn’t referenced on the packaging, has suggested that the spray can lessen the impact of COVID-19 among those who are infected.
Ingredients of the spray mix together when it is administered to form nitric oxide, she said, noting: “All components are used widely in the food industry and have a very strong safety profile.” Each bottle contains a month’s supply for one person to spray twice a day for protection against viruses.
She said: “Theoretically we could have distributed it a year ago, but we needed to negotiate regulatory approval. That’s the biggest frustration, that we’ve been trying 24/7 for a year to bring it to the market, and it could have saved a lot of lives. I believe it would’ve prevented infections and therefore reduced deaths.”