The COVID-19 nasal spray is almost commercially released

The nasal spray, which fights COVID-19 infection, could be available in British pharmacies in the summer, according to a leading medicine researcher.

Developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham, the spray delivers antiviral drugs into the nasal passages covering the new coronavirus, rendering it inactive for users and anyone who can be caught by coughing.

The treatment is carried out with two substances - an antiviral agent called carrageenan and a thickening agent called gelan - which have been shown to be safe for use in humans.

Biomaterials engineer Richard Moxes, who led the research, hopes the treatment could be sold in pharmacies within a few months.

"As a product on the market, we have spoken with companies that are on the road because we believe they can sell it effectively," Mooks told The Daily Telegraph.

"Based on the product, it will reach consumers much faster than new drugs," he added. "I believe his words can have an impact. Our aim is to have an impact as quickly as possible. We want this to happen in the summer."

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The researchers said the spray, which has not been named, will most likely be marketed four times a day at the recommended dosage. Moakes said the care was safe for young people and could help restore education to locations in Britain where schools were closed due to blockades.

"We believe this will help in schools because one of the good things about formulating nasal sprays is that they shouldn't be reformulated for children," says Mox.

The Birmingham team began work on compound nose surgery last spring during the first major wave of the outbreak across Europe. The team released encouraging preliminary data in November when laboratory studies showed the spray prevented infection with the new coronavirus within 48 hours of treatment.

The speed with which the treatment can be marketed is aided by the fact that its ingredients are already considered safe, with carrageenan and gels widely used as stabilizers and stabilizers in processed foods and beverages.

The antiviral properties of carrageenan have been the subject of research for some time. Substances that are naturally found in some algae have been included in sprays to protect against colds, and carrageenan is also known to have good antiviral activity against the herpes simplex virus.

Several other companies and agencies are investigating COVID-19 sprays, including Ena Respiratory of Australia, which performs the INNA-X nose treatment, and engineers from the University of California at San Francisco who developed AeroNabs.

In October, the UK government provided £ 800,000 (US $ 1.1 million) to fund two UK-based biotech companies, Spore-Gen and Destiny Pharma, to develop SPORCOV, a spray that kills bacterial spores in the nose and throat that stimulate a response. immunity. , which in turn could provide some protection against COVID-19. Reuters