Israel, New Zealand approve sale of virus-killing nasal spray

Israel and New Zealand have given interim approval for the sale of biotech firm SaNOtize Research and Development's Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) which could help prevent transmission of the Covid-19 virus, the company said.

Manufacturing of NONS, under the brand name Enovid, has begun in Israel on Monday with SaNOtize's partner Nextar Chempharma Solutions Ltd and it is expected to be on sale there this summer.

In New Zealand, SaNOtize has registered its nasal spray with the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority, which permits the company to distribute and sell NONS over the counter immediately, the Vancouver-based company said.

NONS protects users from viruses that enter the body through the upper nasal pathways.

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How does it work?

The self-administered spray aims to reduce viral load by killing the virus, blocking its entry into the body and halting viral replication within the nasal cavity.

SaNOtize's co-founder and Israeli-raised biochemist, Dr. Gilly Regev, told The Times of Israel that Enovid is a “hand sanitiser equivalent for the nose."

Regev said that Enovid creates both a physical barrier  and “chemical barrier” of nitric oxide in the nose, significantly reducing viral load.

Patients in the Phase II trial treated with SaNOtize’s spray saw an average viral load reduction of 95 percent in the first 24 hours and more than 99 percent within 72 hours.

"This is significant because viral load has been linked to infectivity and poor outcomes,” said Dr. Chris Miller, Chief Science Officer and co-founder of SaNOtize to Business Wire. 

Regev said SaNOtize is hopeful its affordable "nasal spray will now save many lives of people in countries that are waiting for the vaccine," reports The Times of Israel.

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Effective clinical trials

Last week, SaNOtize and Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey, UK announced results of clinical trials showing that NONS was an effective antiviral treatment that could prevent the transmission of Covid-19, shorten its course, and reduce the severity of symptoms and damage in those already infected.

SaNOtize’s Phase II trial evaluated 79 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and showed early treatment with the nasal spray significantly decreased the patient's  level of SARS-CoV-2, including its UK variant, reports Business Wire. 

The trial concluded that treatment accelerated clearance of SARS-CoV-2 by a factor of 16-fold versus a placebo, and reported no adverse events in the UK or Canadian trials.

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