MANAMA — Bahrain has authorized a clinical study to evaluate the use of Enovid nasal spray to treat individuals with COVID-19.

The authorization by Bahrain’s National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) follows a medical study submitted by the relevant authorities at the Ministry of Health, which indicates their support for a clinical trial to take place in Bahrain. Enovid will be tested on volunteers who have already been diagnosed with COVID-19 and who are suffering from mild symptoms.

The NHRA noted that upon completion of the trial and further analysis of medical data, the spray will be approved for use as prevention and treatment for mild COVID-19 cases and may be sold in pharmacies without a prescription.

The spray, developed by Canadian company SaNOtize, has been certified for use as a medical device by the NHRA as a patented spray technology to be used in the clinical trial. It contains nitric oxide, which has proven antimicrobial properties to treat bacterial, fungal, and viral infections.

The nasal spray is designed to kill the virus in the upper airways, preventing it from incubating and spreading to the lungs. According to results announced by SaNOtize, early treatment helps reduce the effects of the virus. The study found that patients treated with the spray showed a reduction of around 95 percent in viral replication in the first 24 hours and more than 99 percent within 72 hours. No side effects have been recorded. — BNA