Covid nasal spray: Hunter-developed device could help patients shed Covid, stop spread

A nasal spray developed in Newcastle could help Covid-19 patients rapidly shed the virus while preventing further spread.

A revolutionary nasal spray that could protect people from Covid-19 and other respiratory infections has progressed to phase two trials that will test the drug’s efficacy on patients exposed to the virus.

INNA-051 was developed with Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle for Australian biotech company Ena Respiratory as a self-administered spray designed to stimulate innate immunity in the nose.

Ena Respiratory managing director Dr Christophe Demaison Picture: Supplied.

Phase one trials testing the safety and tolerability of the drug will be complete early next year.

The company has pushed ahead with phase two trials to run across several countries from January, testing efficacy both in treating people exposed to Covid and in preventing people from catching the virus.

“In recent months, SARS-CoV-2 variants including the Delta variant have continued to spread around the world, at the same time other respiratory viruses like respiratory syncytial virus have seen a resurgence in some countries,” Ena Respiratory managing director Dr Christophe Demaison said.

“There continues to be an urgent need for treatments that will work alongside vaccines, especially for those at high risk of complications or those who do not mount an adequate immune response to vaccines, such as the elderly, patients with chronic respiratory diseases and the immunocompromised.

“These phase two studies will take us closer to understanding whether our nasal spray can prevent illness and reduce the risk of community spread of common respiratory viruses.”

Development began prior to the pandemic to target the primary entry site for viral respiratory infections including influenza and the common cold.

Associate Professor Nathan Bartlett from Hunter Medical Research Institute has developed a nasal spray to help treat Covid-19. Picture: David Swift.

Head of HMRI’s Viral Immunology and Respiratory Disease group, Associate Professor Nathan Bartlett, said later preclinical studies found the treatment was also effective for Covid.

“We discovered that INNA-051 is very effective at priming the airways to more rapidly and effectively respond to a viral infection,” Assoc. Prof. Bartlett said.

“HMRI’s proof of concept data was instrumental in ensuring the treatment was ideally placed to be tested against the virus that causes Covid-19.”

If successful, INNA-051 could be used alongside Covid vaccines in cases where the vaccine may not be as effective, such as for the immunocompromised and people with chronic lung disease.