Viraleze anti-covid nasal spray

[PatioBaker]

Has anyone seen that Viraleze nasal spray has gone on sale in Lloyds pharmacies? It says it ‘inactivates more than 99.9%* of the virus that causes COVID-19,’ I’d love to hear from science folk if they think it would actually be effective and worth buying? Or at least there wouldn’t be any harm in it? I thought it could be good for people who haven’t had a vaccine yet or who are just really anxious about starting to mix with more people now.

lloydspharmacy.com/pages/viraleze-antiviral-nasal-spray?utm_campaign=VIRALEZE_pop_up&utm_medium=VIRALEZE_smart_block&utm_source=LP_%20VIRALEZE&tmsb=qx7as5u&tmrl=57prjce&tmsl=viraleze-banner&tmty=w&tmcv=30&tmcs=nhworj3

Thanks for this OP I'm going to try it

I saw it and wondered!!

I wonder why there hasn't been much in the news about this? I've seen more about SaNOtize... I wonder if they work on the same way? (Have to sleep now, will Google later...)

Just bought two (one each for me and DH) and feeling a bit silly in case it turns out to be a bit of a con.

Link to the preprint of the study:

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.20.260190v2.full

I would expect that it will be a lot less effective in real life than in a test tube, especially as the method of delivery is a nasal spray, you aren't going to get perfect distribution/coverage.

@TheVamoosh

I wonder why there hasn't been much in the news about this? I've seen more about SaNOtize... I wonder if they work on the same way? (Have to sleep now, will Google later...)

No, they have different active ingredients - Nitric Oxide (SaNOtise) and astodrimer sodium (Viraleze).

SaNOtize has been tested on rats and there is currently a phase II clinical trial, so it is further ahead in testing.

There is certainly no harm in using the Viraleze, OP. It has been shown to be safe and effective in treating bacterial vaginosis in clinical trials.

Thanks for your comments, I think I’ll order some, why not?!

With regards to Viraleze I bought 6 units online for my family.
UK regulatory approval for these types of products is not easy to get so I would be very confident that the product is what it says it is. I think this product is starting to get some momentum on a google search. Just appears that the UK has been the first to approve it but watch this space.
Tell your friends and family, I am :-)

I've been nebulising anti-virals for years as a prophylaxis for winter viruses.

UK regulatory approval for these types of products is not easy to get

Yes - you can't make claims for this sort of thing without robust evidence, so there's a good chance it works for most people.

I haven’t used this one but I’ve been using Taffix for a while now.

There's quite a lot of these products on the market from varying brands.

They may have a useful effect (and enough has been demonstrated to make their claims legal) and they are likely to be utterly harmless (unless allergic to an ingredient)

So worth trying if you would find it reassuring. But must not substitute for following advice on social distancing, masks and handwashing.

Thank you. I've just ordered two for my family. I'm a secondary teacher and my dh has to go into people's homes for his job (and feels very anxious about it), so this will give us a bit of reassurance whilst we wait for our vaccines! I'm doing ivf so am hoping the leaflet doesn't say not for pregnant women!

Sky news had an interview with the company that developed this last week ,I bought a couple then - arrived quickly from Lloyds( with a free gift ),
DH is a key worker and half his colleagues are not wearing masks ,even though it is mandatory in his workplace-
He has had his first AZ jab now , but will still use until after his 2nd- It is an extra reassurance for me

Bit off topic but I don't understand pobparker why your DH is not wearing his mask as a key worker. He can still carry the virus and pass it the the millions not yet lucky enough to get the vaccine. I am a nurse and would not get away with not wearing a mask as I shouldn't. I don't believe the selfish behaviour of some.

Sorry pobparker misread your DH colleagues my mistake 💐. However very selfish.

I have used Viraleze. I bought four bottles when it went on sale at Lloyds and had them shipped via a relative to Melbourne, where I live. These arrived the day before my wife came down with symptoms of clod/flu/COVID. As a doctor she immediately went to be tested and the results came back negative for COVID. I started taking the Viraleze.

The spray gives a very slight "tingle" in the nose and there is faint (but not unpleasant) antiseptic like smell/taste. These quickly pass.

After a week my wife's cold cleared up and I did not get it.

While this experience does not prove anything it means I will certainly head for the Viraleze if similar circumstances occur.

Incidentally the same ingredient as Viraleze (astodrimer sodium) has proved very effective at treating bacterial vaginosis and is available in the UK as Betafem BV gel from Amazon. It is the first really effective non antibiotic treatment for this disease, the feed back is very informative).

UK regulatory approval for these types of products is not easy to get

On the contrary - there is no regulatory approval required!

Note - the spray will be totally useless, the cited paper is totally irrelevant to clinical benefit. If these kind of things actually worked, they'd have been widely recommended by the NHS - the fact that they haven't speaks volumes.

Pffftt...

It looks to me like whoever has the patent has been trying to find ways to flog it for almost 20 years as a micro-biocidal magic germ killer potion. Against HIV, Herpes simplex, bacterial vaginosis -- and now covid. It's astounding that any germs at all in the world are left, given this miracle stuff!

Or maybe not.

That is true in a way. It was over a decade ago that astodrimer sodium was found to be effective, the problem was designing a clinical trial to meet FDA requirements for efficacy. It was during this study that the polymer was found to be effective against BV and the trials progressed over the years with 1.800 women.

More recently the polymer was found to work against viral conjunctivitis a condition for which there is no current treatment. From that the COVID and other respiratory viruses.

So it really is broad spectrum and works outside the blood stream.

@FloralJammies

I haven’t used this one but I’ve been using Taffix for a while now.

Hmm. This is not a medicine, it’s a medical device. The hoops through which medical device manufacturers must leap to get their product to market are wider, lower and fewer than those required for medicines. I think the claims are teetering on the edge of unacceptable, and wonder what the MHRA will make of this advertising.

Oops , quoted wrong posts. That was for Poppycat and others who think this has had regulatory approval for its efficacy. It hasn’t.

Is it a bit like First Defence? I use this and find it effective. Also the Boots own one. Against colds.

I did hear the recommendation to First Defencs use prophylactically, so when travelling on busy transport. Places etc. So I do that. No idea if it helps against Covid (but medical person in radio said it was worth a shot). I also use this cream that coats your nose.

God loads of typos. Planes. Use First Defence

Yes, it's the same stuff. Various brands are available.

Idea is that is makes your nasal cavities more hostile to any microbes, and that makes it a harder route for infection. It's not a sure fire-preventative, against covid or any other pathogen. But it's harmless and it might help.