SaNOTize announces breakthrough treatment of COVID 19
A nasal spray, which helps prevent and treat COVID 19 infections, has been developed by Vancouver-headquartered biotechnology organisation, SaNOtize Research & Development Corp.
The organisation has announced the results of its Phase 2 trials of Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS), to be marketed as NORS, the product trade mark. A company announcement said that the spray is effective in eradicating different types of viruses, including influenza and H1N1, as well as preventing and treating COVID-19 infections.
For those uninitiated, NONS treatment is based on NO (nitric oxide), a natural nano molecule produced in the human body, which exhibits anti-microbial properties and characteristics proven to have a direct effect on the coronavirus. Moreover, the treatment is designed to kill the virus in the upper airways, barricading its incubation and entry into the lungs.
The phase 2 clinical trials indicated that SaNOtize’s NONS is an effective and safe antiviral treatment that prevents the transmission of the coronavirus, shortens its course, and significantly reduces the severity of symptoms in individuals already diagnosed.
SaNOtize stated that the Phase 2 clinical trials found that early treatment of COVID-19 patients with NONS substantially reduced the levels of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, including in individuals experiencing high viral loads. Notably, NONS is the only treatment that has proven to reduce viral loads in humans.
SaNOtize is applying to regulatory authorities in the UK and Canada for Emergency Use authorization. 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.
SaNOTize’s website gives the following information:
SaNOTize has completed a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that evaluated 79 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with a 1:1 ration of placebo (saline) to NONS treatment. SaNOtize’s treatment for the prevention and early treatment of COVID-19 succeeded in reducing the log10 viral load (which gives an idea of how much virus is present in the body) in highly infected patients by 1.364 which corresponds to more than 95% in 24 hours and by more than 99% within 72 hours. The majority of these patients had been infected with the UK variant.
It has completed a Health Canada approval multi-centre, randomised, controlled, phase II safety and efficacy study (N=143) evaluating nitric oxide nasal spray (NONS) in combination with a lavage and gargle, for the prevention of COVID-19 in healthcare workers and individuals at risk of infection; Nobody from the treatment arm got infected and strong safety data was shown.
Test conducted independently by Institute for Antiviral Research at Utah State University has confirmed that NORSTM is >99.9% effective against different types of coronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19).
A similar trial was also conducted St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey, UK, along with other organisations.
“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 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 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.”