Health Ministry-approved labeling says antiviral is effective within 2 minutes; can save many lives in countries without access to vaccines, says inventor
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, its inventor, Dr. Gilly Regev, told The Times of Israel.
“We are hoping that our nasal spray will now save many lives of people in countries that are waiting for the vaccine,” said Regev, an Israeli-raised biochemist who co-founded the company SaNOtize and developed the spray in Canada. “This will be affordable and can be used for prevention, to protect from any respiratory viral infection.”
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.”
Israel will become the first country where the spray is sold. The Health Ministry has given interim approval for its sale as a medical device suitable for people age 12 and up — meaning it could be used by many who aren’t yet approved for coronavirus vaccines — with packaging stating: “Scientifically tested to kill 99.9% of viruses within 2 minutes.”
