New, COVID-19 Blocking Nasal Spray Could Be Here by Summer
Over the next 12 months, I predict a lot of new drugs and treatments for COVID-19 and its complications will be hitting the market. Some of those will be effective, some will be worthless, and some may even be dangerous. One of the more promising new drugs out of the United Kingdom stands out for being the first one designed not to fight the disease inside your body, but to keep it from getting in there in the first place.
Scientists at the University of Birmingham have developed a unique method for preventing infection by stopping the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 at the most likely point of entry - your nose. According to the New York Post, this treatment would be delivered via a nose spray and is made from substances that have already been cleared for medical use - bypassing the need for a usually long and tedious approval process.
The nasal solution is made from 2 key ingredients: Carrageenan (an antiviral drug), and gellan (a gelling agent used in food.) When sprayed in the nose, this combination captures and destroys the virus faster than it enters the nose. Theoretically, this drug could make masks obsolete.
Reportedly, one spray could protect you for as long as 2 days. The treatment's makers recommend 4 sprays a day to keep the COVID away, but say that the solution is safe enough to use every 20 minutes (in the case of an extremely high risk situation).
The makers are currently in talks with pharmaceutical companies that would be able to mass produce, market, and distribute it worldwide. The best part is: If all goes well, you'll be able to buy this over the counter in pharmacies across the Ark-La-Tex as soon as this summer.