SaNOtize’s nasal spray eliminates 99% of Covid-19 virus

Clinical trials indicated that SaNOtize’s Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) represents a safe and 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.

In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial that evaluated 79 confirmed cases of Covid-19, SaNOtize’s early treatment for Covid-19 significantly reduced the level of SARS-CoV-2, including in patients with high viral loads. The average viral log reduction in the first 24 hours was 1.362, which corresponds to a decline of about 95 per cent. Within 72 hours, the viral load dropped by more than 99 per cent, the company stated in a release. 

The majority of these patients had been infected with the UK variant, which is considered a variant of concern. There were no adverse health events recorded in the UK trial, or in over 7,000 self-administered treatments given in earlier Canadian clinical trials, it added.

“NONS destroys the virus, blocks entry into and halts viral replication within the nasal cavity, which rapidly reduces viral load. 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. 

NONS is the only novel therapeutic treatment so far proven to reduce viral load in humans that is not a monoclonal antibody treatment. Monoclonal antibodies are highly specific, expensive and must be administered intravenously in a clinical setting.

“I expect this to be a major advance in the global battle against the devastating human impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Dr Stephen Winchester, consultant medical virologist and chief investigator of this NHS clinical trial. “This simple portable nasal spray could be highly effective in the treatment of Covid-19 and reducing onward transmission. Our trial included patients with a variant of concern and high viral loads yet demonstrated significant reductions in the levels of SARS-CoV-2, which could be critical in supporting vaccines, preventing future outbreaks and safely reopening economies. Simply stated, I think this could be revolutionary,” he added.

The SaNOtize treatment is designed to kill the virus in the upper airways, preventing it from incubating and spreading to the lungs. It is based on nitric oxide (NO), a natural nanomolecule produced by the human body with proven anti-microbial properties shown to have a direct effect on SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The pharmacology, toxicity, and safety data for NO use in humans has been well-established for decades. 

The NO molecule released from NONS is identical to the one delivered in its gaseous form to treat persistent pulmonary hypertension, or Blue Baby Syndrome, in newborn babies.

The company is working to commercialise the multi-faceted antimicrobial properties of the nitric oxide producing liquid.

SaNOtize is seeking emergency use authorisation in the UK and Canada.

SaNOtize is applying to regulatory authorities in the UK and Canada for emergency use authorisation. Swift approval and ramp-up of manufacturing could facilitate an almost immediate safe return to work, school and society, and spur an economic recovery that is months – if not years – ahead of full global vaccination.

Wide-scale equitable global availability of NONS could form a bridge during the global production and distribution of vaccines to help keep people safe and healthy. The ease of NONS manufacture, storage and use makes NONS a treatment candidate that could soon be widely available at low-cost for long-term care facilities, healthcare and frontline workers, and the general population.

In addition to providing antiviral treatment in the early stages of infection and for those who have yet to be vaccinated, NONS has also demonstrated that it could also reduce infectivity – the frequency of transmission from an infected person to a non-infected person.

The results of the UK trial corroborate the information gathered from SaNOtize’s earlier Phase 2 trials in Canada and independent lab tests at Utah State University’s Antiviral Research Institute.

“Now that NONS has been demonstrated to be safe and effective in clinical trials, we must move with urgency to get it into the hands of the public where it can help bring an end to the pandemic, accelerate a return to normality, and prevent future outbreaks of Covid-19 and its variants,” said Dr Gilly Regev, CEO and co-founder of SaNOtize. 

“The human toll of this disease cannot be expressed simply in numbers, and each day compounds the frustration, fear and loss suffered by millions around the world. Combined with the roll-out of vaccines, NONS can help get the world back on its feet,” he stated further.

Israel and New Zealand have already approved the public sale of NONS. It will be sold under the brand name of Enovid in Israel and is expected to hit the shelves this summer.

The emergence of new Covid-19 variants and uncertainty around ramping up vaccine production means that, at least in the short term, vaccines do not represent an absolute solution to the Covid-19 outbreak in the country.

This is why a nasal spray treatment, reportedly, waiting on regulatory approvals across several countries, is now receiving significant attention owing to the implications it may have in regard to India’s tussle with the virus.