A Chinese research on the efficacy of antibody nasal spray against Covid infection claimed an 80 per cent prevention rate. However, reports citing experts urged caution, saying that antibody nasal spray has its side effects. During COVID-19 outbreak in November, thousands of health workers were recruited in inner Mongolia for the study. According to a paper posted into preprint server medRxiv, those who used the antibody nasal spray twice a day were infected at about one-fifth the rate of those who did not.
The spray was developed by Sinovac Life Sciences and contains a broad-spectrum antibody known as SA58 to neutralise Covid. During the course of study, about 1,800 adverse events were reported, including runny or dry nose and sneezing. The authors, however, claimed that the adverse events “were all mild and disappeared quickly without affecting daily work”.
“This clinical study of the SA58 nasal spray on medical personnel showed good tolerance and good effectiveness for preventing Covid-19 infections, suggesting further application in other populations in the real world,” they added.