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A United States based pharmaceutical company has developed an over-the-counter ointment that can be effective against the new coronavirus infection, which has also received an approval from the US Food and Drug Administration Agency (FDA).
The ointment is said to be the first line of defence against COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that has already infected over 23 million people the world over, besides accounting for more than 800,000 lives.
The pharma major is well-known for developing topical ointments for various illnesses and medical conditions, and their latest innovation - named T3X - is said to be effective against various types of viral infections including coronaviruses.
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According to a company statement, the non-prescription topical ointment will play a significant role in controlling and preventing the further spread of COVID-19 around the world.
While there are more tests being carried out to test the effectiveness of the ointment, recent anti-viral studies have indicated the T3X to be effective in "neutralizing the Influenza A virus (H1N1) and coronavirus (NL63)". According to the conclusion of the study, the ointment was successfully able to end the infectivity cycle of the diseases 30 seconds after treatment.
The CEO of Advanced Penetration Technology, the pharmaceutical company responsible for this creation, Dr Brian Huber said that the development marks a breakthrough as it will "reduce the likelihood of becoming infected with coronavirus through the nose, which is where most cases are contracted".
"T3X is an FDA registered, over-the-counter formulation, which means that no prescription is needed. It is easy to use and can be self-administered without the assistance of medical personnel or technicians," the company said in a statement.
Most of the COVID-19 cases that have emerged since it was first reported late last year have been through people breathing in respiratory droplets of infected people, which Dr Huber said made his company's creation a "first line of defence against the COVID virus".
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Tests to study the effects of the new ointment were performed by the London-based Virology Research Services Ltd, who said its effectiveness in reducing the viral load on infected patients was with a 99.9% success rate against the NL63 coronavirus. The tests were conducted in the months of May and June earlier this year.
The company claims that the ointment is a non-prescription medication which can be self-administered without the help of medical workers.
According to the company, the ointment needs to be swabbed inside the nasal cavities every 12 hours which can help reduce the exposure levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the body, which can lead to a reduction in infectivity and the chance of infecting others.
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The company also added that their T3X ointment was developed keeping the guidelines of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in mind, adding to the country’s list of developments being made in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.
