Nasal spray should not beused without doctors’ advice

KABUL (Pajhwok): Health professionals confirm reports about a nasal spray that prevents the coronavirus from entering the body’s respiratory system, but say it should not be used without a doctor’s advice as it could cause other health side effects.
According to a report of Deutsche Welle (DW) Dari, a team of American experts have developed a nasal spray that they say can prevent the coronavirus from entering the body’s respiratory system. The drug is said to be effective for 24 hours. The reports say that a German professor is also working with the team.
Experts from UC San Francisco team in a study published on the bioRxiv scientific platform have introduced a new nasal spray that they say can prevent coronavirus infection. Radio Farda published a report titled “Promising results of an anti-Covid-19 nasal spray” which states, “A group of experts have developed a nasal spray to stop coronavirus. This spray, which contains herbal ingredients, is designed to prevent infection by the virus. The drug has been resistant to several forms of the virus and is currently in experimental stage.”
An Iranian website, “Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA)” has published a report titled ‘The nasal spray with the ability to destroy different forms of coronavirus.” “The new nasal spray offered in India is helpful for the treatment of Covid-19, the spray is helpful for adult patients infected by the virus and in risk of worsening situation…Glenmark Pharmaceutical Company, in partnership with SanOTize, has started production of nitric oxide nasal spray in India,” the source said.
The report says that the results of the third phase trial of the spray in India showed that it reduces the viral presence by 94% in 24 hours and 99% in 48 hours. Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) is safe for Covid-19 patients. Glenmark Pharmaceutical Company said in a statement that it would launch its NONS spray under the FabiSpray brand to the market.
Another Iranian website, ‘Young Reporters Club’ published an article titled, “The Significant Impact of Nasal Spray Use on the Cure of Severe Coronavirus Disease” which states, “Study suggests that steroid nasal spray may improve the health condition of patients with severe Covid-19 infection.” The article said, “A new study by the Cleveland Clinic found that patients who regularly used steroid nasal sprays were less likely to develop severe Covid-19 infection and 20 to 25 percent less likely to be hospitalized.” The source added that the article published in Allergy and Clinical Immunology In Practice magazine.
A Twitter user Pune in a post about the effectiveness of nasal sprays said that his father was infected with coronavirus but the spray helped him to recover. He said that his father was cured and anyone using the nasal spray would not be affected by coronavirus.
Dr. Ebadullah Ebad, in charge of controlling communicable diseases in Afghan-Japan Hospital in Kabul said that some nasal sprays were recently recommended for treatment of coronavirus. He said that a group of American medical experts had developed nasal sprays that were said to prevent the coronavirus from entering the respiratory system.
However, he said that the nasal spray has not yet been approved by the World Health Organization. Ebad asked people to avoid using any kind of sprays, medicines, drops and other drugs without consulting a doctor.
Meanwhile, Dr. Samir Bayat, a chest surgeon in Germany, said that the mentioned spray is effective in preventing coronavirus, but the drug’s one time use is effective for 24 hours. He added that the spray also has its disadvantages and if used more than needed, it will cause stomachache. He asked people not to use any medicine, including sprays, without consulting a doctor. Pajhwok Afghan News tried to get the views of officials of the Ministry of Public Health on the issue, but no one responded.