Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray Shows Potential Against Influenza Virus, SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Major Respiratory Viruses
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical New Team Jan 12, 2026 1 hour, 54 minutes ago
Medical News: A New Tool Against Everyday Lung Infections
A new laboratory investigation led by scientists from SaNOtize Research & Development Corp. in Vancouver, Canada, together with experts from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia and Respiratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia, has revealed highly promising results showing that a Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) can rapidly neutralize a wide range of dangerous respiratory viruses. This
Medical News report describes how the simple nose spray may offer everyday protection against viruses responsible for colds, flu, and even COVID-19.
Nitric oxide nasal spray rapidly neutralized multiple dangerous respiratory viruses in new laboratory tests
Why Researchers Tested the Spray
Respiratory viruses spread mainly from the nose and throat, where they first multiply after entering the body. Many of these viruses, including influenza, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2, mutate quickly and can become resistant to medicines or vaccines. Some, like human rhinovirus and certain influenza strains, have no reliable treatments at all. With repeated COVID-19 waves and resurging flu threats, researchers believe that a broad-acting antiviral that works directly inside the nose could slow infections before they spread deeper into the body.
Testing Nitric Oxide on a Long List of Threats
The study exposed viruses to the nasal spray in controlled experiments and measured how much active virus remained after short contact times ranging from 5 seconds to 2 minutes. The researchers reported that NONS eliminated more than 99.9 percent of infectious virus across many targets, often bringing viral levels down to undetectable limits.
Key findings include:
• All major SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Alpha, Delta, Omicron BA.1 and XBB.2, were wiped out within 30 seconds to two minutes
• Influenza A (H1N1, H3N2, H5N1) and Influenza B were among the easiest to kill, disappearing in 10–15 seconds
• Respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus, and parainfluenza virus type 3 were eliminated within two minutes
• Even human rhinovirus, a hard-to-kill virus linked to the common cold, was neutralized to below detectable levels
The antiviral effect comes from nitric oxide, a natural immune molecule that interferes with the viral structures they need to infect human cells.
Why This Matters for Public Health
While vaccines and medicines remain essential, experts stress that viruses continue to evolve faster than drug development timelines. Because NONS works by directly damaging the virus instead of targeting a specific variant, it may stay effective even when new strains emerge. The spray is self-administered, acts locally in the nose, and has shown a strong safety profile in earlier cli
nical studies.
Conclusions
The new findings suggest that Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray may serve as a practical, rapid-acting antiviral option in homes, schools, travel settings and healthcare facilities. By sharply reducing viral levels in the nose—the place infections begin—it could lower the chances of serious sickness and transmission, even against novel or vaccine-resistant strains. Researchers emphasize that future clinical trials will confirm how well this benefit translates into real-world protection, but the laboratory results already show a broad and fast-acting antiviral approach that strengthens pandemic preparedness and everyday respiratory defense.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Viruses
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/18/1/91
For the latest on potential antivirals against Influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/influenza-or-flu
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