Will Vitamin C/Zinc Nasal Spray help with COVID-19 Prevention?

The Professional Compounding Centers of America provides pharmacy staff with tools and resources to improve personalized medication. Recently, they have published an article highlighting that “Nasally delivered antiviral therapy may be an option to prevent COVID-19 at the early onset of infection, especially for health care workers who are at risk of exposure.”1Life Compound pharmacy has compounded a Vitamin C/Zinc MucoLox nasal spray based on the following:

1). Some viruses such as COVID do not function well in low pH setting based on “SARS-CoV-2, like other enveloped viruses, can be inactivated at low pH. In one study a nasal spray with a pH of 3.5 was shown to reduce the severity of the flu.” 1, 4Vitamin C 5% solution has a pH of 2.2-2.5.

2)Vitamin C is widely used in cold and flu2. Zinc lozenges and Zinc nasal gels have been proven to shorten the duration of upper respiratory tract infections3. 

3) Cleaning the nasal passages with a saline nasal spray has been historically used to reduce symptoms and shorten the duration of disease at the early stage of upper respiratory tract infection1

4). Adding MucoLox to the nasal spray to provide long-lasting coverage and increased contact time to the mucous membrane in nasal passage. 

Patients are encourage to call Life Compounding pharmacy for further information.

References:

• Yi Liu. Coronavirus Update: Hand-Washing, Nasal Sprays and Masks – What Research is Saying [Internet]. PCCA; 2019 Apr 29 [cited 2020 May 13]. Available from: https://www.pccarx.com/Blog/coronavirus-update-hand-washing-nasal-sprays-and-masks-what-research-is-saying?fbclid=IwAR1FKTBMeAoNRQz7VZKVhI8w0sUKM2mxKXztT0OjzJD38eKkoql9c0Q_MoM.

• Hemilä H, Chalker E. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Jan 31;(1):CD000980. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4.

• Hirt M, Nobel S, Barron E. Zinc nasal gel for the treatment of common cold symptoms: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ear Nose Throat J. 2000 Oct;79(10):778-80, 782.

• Naming the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the virus that causes it. WHO; 2020 [cited 2020 May 13]. Available https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/naming-the-coronavirus-disease-(covid-2019)-and-the-virus-that-causes-it