Researchers at the University of Birmingham are preparing a nasal spray that can avert coronavirus infection for up to two days.
The nasal spray is under mass production and the British government will try to make them available in a few months, The Sunday Telegraph reported.
Lead researcher Dr Richard Moakes told The Sunday Telegraph that he is confident about the spray’s capability to block the virus and unlock society from social distancing protocols. It will “get schools going again.”
The researchers stated that the ingredients of the nasal spray, which is yet to be named, are already approved for medical use. This means that the nasal spray is safe to use without requiring further approval from the authorities.
The spray’s formula will help trap the virus in a coating from which it cannot escape to proliferate.
Moakes was quoted as saying: “As an over-the-shelf product, we have spoken to companies with a presence on the high street as we think they could distribute it effectively. Based on the product, it will be much quicker to get to the user than a novel drug. I am confident that the formulation can make an impact.”
“Our goal is to make an impact as soon as possible. We would really like to see this happen by summer,” he said.
Last year in November, Columbia University researchers had also developed a Covid-19 nasal spray that could help in the prevention of the spread of the virus until the vaccine is made available to the general population. The nasal spray can be inhaled so as to prevent the infection from proliferating any further, as per the previous report.