No Frills Nasal Spray Could Block Flu And Covid, Study Shows

WASHNGTON, Oct 4 (Bernama-dpa) -- A no-frills nasal spray could potentially provide effective protection against "deadly respiratory infections" and Covid-19, tests on mice suggest, the German news agency (dpa) reported, citing a study.

In findings published in the journal Advanced Materials, a team of Massachusetts-based medics and scientists said their "radically simple" Pathogen Capture and Neutralising Spray (PCANS), could be a "promising daily-use prophylactic against respiratory infections".

"PCANS has the potential to provide an additional layer of protection against respiratory infections when traditional measures like masks and vaccines fall short," said corresponding author Nitin Joshi of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

"With its broad-spectrum activity, it could offer defence against emerging variants of the flu, RSV, COVID-19 and beyond," Joshi added.

According to Wiley, publisher of Advanced Materials, the spray "works by forming a protective coating on the nasal cavity, which captures airborne respiratory droplets and acts as a physical barrier against viruses and bacteria, while effectively neutralising them."

In contrast, other nasal sprays offer "limited protection" because they rely on a "single mechanism of action", such as by "either neutralising pathogens or blocking their entry at the nasal lining".

Other sprays, the team claimed, fail to maximise the capture of respiratory droplets which in turn means they can potentially rebound and reach deeper airways.

According to a declaration published at the foot of the document, 4 of the 25 researchers listed as authors have "one pending patent based on the PCANS formulation described in this manuscript".

-- BERNAMA-dpa