Corona nasal spray should kill viruses - finally a new drug against Covid-19?

As long as there is no vaccine against Covid-19, doctors rely on medication. Some preparations have already proven themselves - a nasal spray is also promising.

• Many drugs are currently used "off-label" for coronavirus infections. By "off-label use" is meant "improper use": Medicines are used against a disease for the treatment of which they have no approval from the regulatory authorities .
• The reason for this: So far, there are too few preparations * specifically approved for Covid-19 that are effective against the new pathogen Sars-CoV-2.
• But scientists are feverishly researching new drugs. A special nasal spray that is currently being developed is supposed to prevent the coronavirus from entering body cells .

The coronavirus pandemic is far from over. There are still an extremely high number of new infections worldwide, and studies that investigate possible long-term consequences such as persistent heart problems and decreased lung performance are of concern. But at the same time, the development of vaccines and drugs against Covid-19 is progressing .

For example, US researchers at UC San Francisco are currently testing a nasal spray that is supposed to prevent infection with the coronavirus. The product, called AeroNabs, reaches the lungs via a fine mist via the airways and is supposed to render the coronavirus harmless before it can penetrate the body's cells. According to the study authors, it should guarantee 24-hour protection against corona viruses - so it must be used daily.

Also read : This is what happens with a coronavirus infection in the body .

Nasal spray against Covid-19: Clinical tests are still pending

AeroNabs contains, among other things, artificial protein molecules that are similar to so-called nano-bodies. These are found in camels and llamas, for example, and have the ability to eliminate pathogens. Tagesschau.de quotes biochemist and German-American Peter Walter, in whose laboratory the nasal spray was developed: “ The molecules have binding regions with which they attach themselves to the virus. “Once bound, they would not let go and completely deactivate the virus, according to tagesschau.de.

According to Walter, the aim is to catch the virus directly in the nose: “As long as we can stop the virus in the nasal cavity, the AeroNabs will work well. At least that's what we hope and plan, ”said the professor. Clinical tests are still pending. But if these are positive, the nasal spray against Covid-19 could be on the market in just a few months . (jg) * Merkur.de is part of the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editorial network .

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