A nasal spray already available for allergy relief may also lower the chances of catching COVID-19 and common colds, according to new clinical trial results from Germany.
In Jama Internal Medicine publication, researchers tested azelastine, an over-the-counter antihistamine spray, in a mid-stage trial involving 450 volunteers.
Participants were randomly assigned either the active spray or a placebo and instructed to use it three times daily for nearly two months.
By the end of the study, infections were noticeably lower among those who used azelastine. Only 2.2% of people in this group tested positive for COVID-19, compared with 6.7% in the placebo group.
Rates of symptomatic illness and other respiratory infections were also reduced. The treatment group had a particular advantage against rhinoviruses, the main cause of the common cold.
Just 1.8% developed such infections, compared with 6.3% in the placebo arm.
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Lead investigator Professor Robert Bals of Saarland University Medical Center said the results point to a potential new tool to help curb seasonal outbreaks.
If confirmed in larger trials, “azelastine nasal spray could provide an additional easily accessible prophylactic to complement existing protective measures, especially for vulnerable groups, during periods of high infection rates, or before traveling,” he explained.
Azelastine is widely used to treat hay fever and nasal allergies, but until now its potential role in viral infection prevention had not been rigorously studied.
Experts caution that further research is needed before public health authorities recommend its use against COVID-19 or colds.
