Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray Treats Early COVID-19 Infection in India

Mumbai-based Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited and SaNOtize Research & Development Corp. launched its Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray FabiSpray® in India to treat adult patients with COVID-19 who have a high risk of disease progression.

Glenmark's press release issued on February 9, 2022, says, 'FabiSpray Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) is designed to kill the COVID-19 virus in the upper airways.'

And 'it has proven anti-microbial properties with a direct virucidal effect on the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.'

NONS acts as a physical and chemical barrier against the virus when sprayed over nasal mucosa, preventing it from incubating and spreading to the lungs.

As per studies conducted in the Utah State University, NONS was found to kill 99.9% of the SARS-Cov-2 virus, including its variants Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, within two minutes.

Robert Crockart, Chief Commercial Officer, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., commented in the press statement, "We are happy to receive regulatory approval for Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (FabiSpray) and launch it in partnership with SaNOtize in India."

The launch in other Asian markets is pending: Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Nepal, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste,  and Vietnam.

A previous phase 3 clinical study in India found the median time to virological cure was four days in the NONS group and 8 days in the placebo group (p < 0.05).

And a significantly higher proportion of patients demonstrated a 2-point improvement on the WHO Progression Scale in the NONS group as compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05).

Dr. Srikanth Krishnamurthy, one of the study's Principal Investigators, commented, ".... Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray lowers the viral load and hastens RT-PCR negativity when used early in COVID 19 infection leading to recovery."

"Most importantly, viral load reduction with NONS has the potential to reduce the chain of transmission."

"Last but not the least, NONS being topical is safe and makes this therapeutic option very attractive."

NONS has already received a CE mark in Europe, which is the equivalent of marketing authorization in the case of a Medical Device.

NONS is also approved and sold in Israel, Thailand, Indonesia, and Bahrain, under the name enovid™ or VirX™.

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a global innovation-driven pharmaceutical company across Specialty, Generics, and OTC businesses. Globally, the company has ten world-class manufacturing facilities spread across 4 continents and operations in over 80 countries.