A nasal spray was recently created by the Australian biotech company Ena Respiratory for the express purpose of stopping inhaled Covid-19 from spreading in the nose and sinuses’ mucus. Called INNA-X, the drug is one of several sprays that are proving effective against the coronavirus.
In addition, the nasal spray also seems effective against other viruses such as the rhinovirus which causes the common cold, and is responsible for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
According to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal, the drug known as INNA-X is effective at reducing the viral load and inhibiting harmful inflammations. The study was made using a pre-clinical infection model.
The research was conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) in Australia. The researchers seem confident in the anti-viral capabilities of the Ena Respiratory spray.
“Consistent with what we have reported for other respiratory viruses including SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), INNA-X treatment prior to infection reduced the level of virus in the respiratory tract,” said Associate Professor Nathan Bartlett.
“We have also examined the effect of INNA-X in airway cells from patients with asthma which we know have a less effective anti-viral immune response and found that INNA-X treatment was effective providing a rationale for the use of INNA-X in at risk populations.”
The diseases INNA-X seems capable of preventing range from the common cold to potentially life-threatening exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases. Such illnesses cost the global economy a total of billions of dollars every year.
More human trials are needed to properly assess the effectiveness of the spray but the Newcastle team says that if it proves as effective as it seems it can be especially life-saving for at-risk populations such as the elderly or people with asthma.