Newsman: Canada-based SaNOtize Research and Development alongside Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services through their clinical trials of its nasal spray against Covid-19, now seeking federal approval for emergency use of the product saying it has developed an effective treatment for anyone who’s contracted COVID-19. SaNOtize A self-administered nitric oxide nasal spray (NONS) made by Vancouver-based biotech firm SaNOtize has been found to dramatically reduce Covid-19 viral load in infected patients after completing early-stage clinical trials in Canada and, most recently, the UK. In lab tests at Utah State University’s Antiviral Research Institute, the spray proved to be 99.9% effective in killing the virus within two minutes. At present, the SaNOtize NONS is in Phase II clinical trials throughout Canada approved by Health Canada as well as in other countries.
SaNOtize, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services in the UK, have announced results of Phase II trials indicating that SaNOtize’s nasal spray represents a safe and powerful antiviral treatment that could prevent the transmission of Covid-19, shorten its duration, and reduce the severity of symptoms in those already infected.
SaNOtize said , their months of clinical trials shows nasal spray has been found to reduce COVID-19 levels by 95 per cent within 24 hours, and more than 99 per cent in under three days. Testing also found the spray works against the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 that originated in the U.K.
“We believe this will also be effective against all other variants,” added Miller.
SaNOtize is now seeking federal approval for emergency use of the nasal spray in the U.K. and Canada. Ideally, they want their product available over-the-counter. Each bottle contains two months’ worth of doses, and would retail for approximately $50.
The biotech firm also plans to run another set of clinical trials in the coming weeks, to prove the spray not only kills COVID-19 in the body, but can also prevent people from contracting the virus.
“When you use the nasal spray, it really kills the virus in the nose, and reduces the viral load,” said Dr. Gilly Regev, who co-founded SaNOtize with Dr. Chris Miller. “You get exposed, you test positive, and you take this. Within a day, or two days, or maximum four days, you’re back out on the street,” he told CTV News.
Nitric Oxide which is known to act as a disinfectant and is produced naturally in humans. Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) is designed to exterminate the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the upper airways and stop its incubation and spread to the lungs. The treatment is based on a natural nanomolecule called nitric oxide, produced by the human body with proven anti-microbial properties against SARS-CoV-2.
Furthermore, studies using the spray in Covid-19 infected rodents showed a 95% drop in viral load within a day after infection while half the rodents showed no detectable virus.
The rodents were first inoculated with the virus and given two treatments of the nasal spray.
In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase II trial that evaluated 79 confirmed cases of Covid-19, SaNOtize’s early treatment significantly decreased the level of SARS-CoV-2, including in patients with high viral loads infected by the concerning UK variant of Covid-19.
Patients treated with SaNOtize’s spray saw an average viral log reduction of 1.362 in the first 24 hours, which corresponds to a decline of around 95%. Within 72 hours the viral load plummeted by more than 99%. No adverse events were recorded in the UK trial nor in earlier Canadian trials that saw over 7,000 patients testing the self-administered treatment.
“I expect this to be a major advance in the global battle against the devastating human impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said consultant medical virologist and chief investigator of the NHS trial Dr Stephen Winchester, CTV reported.
“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 still 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.”
To date, NONS is the only novel therapeutic treatment outside of expensive monoclonal antibodies that has been proven to reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral load in humans, SaNOtize said.
The SaNOtize treatment kills the virus in the upper airways, preventing it from incubating and making its way to the lungs.
