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Friday, March 29, 2024

No nasal spray proven effective vs. virus — FDA

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The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday warned the public that no nasal spray has been proven effective yet in preventing COVID-19.

Authorities are still waiting for the result of the trials “and we have to wait a little more” before COVID-19 nasal spray vaccines become available in the market, said FDA director-general Eric Domingo.

“For now, the only nasal spray available to us is for cleansing the nose or giving a bit of protection, but only for a short while. And they cannot be used as replacement for drugs or vaccines against COVID,” said Domingo in a televised public briefing.

“There are no COVID nasal vaccine sprays allowed yet in the Philippines or any part of the world,” he added.

Products that claim to be COVID nasal sprays are either “fake” or have unidentified components, Domingo said.

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“Do not use those and please report sellers to the FDA so we can apprehend them,” he said.

The World Health Organization said clinical trials were underway to evaluate eight spray vaccines which aim to deliver COVID-19 immunity directly to the nose—the area of the body through which the virus is most likely to be transmitted.

The Philippines is fighting one of Asia’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, with infections crossing 2.4 million on Tuesday and overall deaths topping 37,000.

Government aims to inoculate 70 percent of the country’s 109 people before the year ends to achieve herd immunity and safely reopen the economy.

At least 18.5 million people have been fully vaccinated so far.

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