Health Professionals Petition WHO for Guidance: People Should Use Nasal Sprays to Combat COVID-19 Pandemic; Doctors Use in Treating Patients
25.1.2021 11:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Today, a consortium of health professionals petitioned the World Health Organization to issue Guidance calling on: all people to use nasal sprays to combat the COVID-19 pandemic; doctors to use them in treating COVID-19 patients; and, Member-States to implement public health policies promoting the use of nasal sprays to both prevent and treat COVID-19.
The petition asks the WHO to promulgate guidance that promotes the use of nasal sprays with data indicating that they are antiviral (blocks viral adhesion), virucidal (kills or deactivates the virus), anti-bacterial (block bacteria, in particular pneumonia bacteria) and bactericidal (kills bacteria, in particular pneumonia bacteria).
“We have data showing that certain nasal sprays don’t just wash away the virus. Certain sprays actually block, deactivate and/or kill the virus,” said Dr. Gustavo Ferrer, a respiratory illness expert who has conducted research on the use of nasal sprays to combat COVID-19, and is among the petitioners.
As a result, the petition calls specifically for WHO Guidance to focus on the use of nasal sprays that contain Xylitol and grapefruit seed extract. Recent studies have found that these natural components used together are antiviral (they block SARS-CoV-2 adhesion to the nasal membrane) and virucidal (they kill or deactivate the virus). One such spray, Xlear, is currently widely available in the US. Xlear has been used by millions of people worldwide, over twenty-plus years, without any adverse effects reported.
Additionally, a new, small clinical study found Xlear lessens the severity and shortens the duration of COVID-19 illnesses, and reduces the risk of further transmission, which is why the petition calls for guidance to doctors to use it as an adjunct to current treatments.
“Nasal sprays are proven safe, inexpensive, non-invasive, easy to use and you can get them off-the-shelf at your local store around the world. There is a growing body of data that sprays, in particular Xlear, can help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s pure commonsense,” Nathan Jones, CEO of Xlear said.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210125005242/en/
Contact information
Jeff Gulko
617.304.7339
jeff@thegulkogroup.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
IQM Quantum Computers Acquires Assets of Quantistry GmbH to Bridge the Gap Between Quantum Algorithms and Solutions for Industrial Enterprises6.7.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
IQM Quantum Computers (Nasdaq: IQMX) (“IQM”, “IQM Quantum Computers” or the “Company”), a global leader in full-stack superconducting quantum computers, has acquired selected assets of Quantistry GmbH, a Berlin-based developer of cloud-native simulation workflow platform for automotive, aerospace, chemical, materials and pharmaceutical industries. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260706448170/en/ IQM Quantum Computers Acquires Assets of Quantistry GmbH to bridge the gap between Quantum Algorithms and Solutions for Industrial Enterprises The acquired assets include proprietary software applications, algorithms, and intellectual property. IQM will also retain Quantistry's core technical, quantum chemistry, and software engineering talent, ensuring seamless continuity and rapid platform integration. The transaction completed recently, concurrently with IQM's business combination with Real Asset Acquisition Corp. (
Agenus Reports Landmark BOT+BAL Data Showing 33% Three-Year Overall Survival in Refractory MSS Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Without Active Liver Metastases at ESMO GI 20266.7.2026 14:30:00 EEST | Press release
Agenus Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN), a leader in immuno-oncology innovation, today announced three-year landmark Phase 1b data from the fully enrolled C-800-01 cohort evaluating botensilimab (BOT), an Fc-enhanced multifunctional anti–CTLA-4 antibody, plus balstilimab (BAL), an anti–PD-1 antibody, in patients with refractory microsatellite-stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) without active liver metastases. The data were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers (ESMO GI) Congress 2026 on July 2 in Munich, Germany. BOT+BAL demonstrated clinically meaningful long-term survival in a heavily pretreated patient population with historically limited benefit from conventional immune checkpoint inhibitors and few durable treatment options after progression on standard therapies. With extended follow-up, median overall survival was 21.2 months and the three-year overall survival rate was 33%, with the Kaplan-Meier curve showing a plateau beyond two years
LTM Launches BlueVerse™ RightLogic to Address Cyber Risk in AI Era6.7.2026 12:12:00 EEST | Press release
LTM, the Business Creativity partner to the world’s largest enterprises, has launched BlueVerse™ RightLogic, a cybersecurity assessment and risk assurance framework designed to help enterprises identify, assess and remediate cyber exposure as they accelerate AI adoption. AI is now capable of autonomously identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities, while exposure across infrastructure, applications and supply chains continue to expand. This has elevated cyber risk from a technology concern to a board-level priority, with enterprises struggling to maintain visibility and respond at the speed of emerging threats. BlueVerse RightLogic addresses this gap by providing a unified, business-aligned view of enterprise exposure and enabling a shift from fragmented, point-in-time assessments to continuous, evidence-led risk management. The framework combines an end-to-end AI and cyber exposure assessment engine with a structured execution model that spans from assessment to remediation. At the cor
Media Release: Financial Worries Rise and Match Health Concerns as Cost-of-Living Pressures Mount in 20266.7.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Households around the world are feeling the strain of the rising cost of living, with financial pressure increasingly shaping everyday choices and long-term confidence. Finances and health are now tied as the top global worries, at 48% each, followed by concerns about the future at 35%, according to consumer surveys in 10 countries published in “The Allianz 3am Report 2026.” This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260703907741/en/ Allianz / IPSOS “What Worries the World” Study, April – June 2026. Financial worries, which include concerns about “rising cost of living” (71%) and “insufficient income” (51%), increased in seven out of eight countries surveyed year over year, moving up in the ranking of top three worries in Brazil, France, Germany, and the U.K., while remaining stable in Italy. The strongest increases are observed in Australia and Indonesia, where financial concerns have remained the leading worry, as well
HAZAMA ANDO Becomes an Official Partner in Helical Fusion’s Commercial Fusion Initiative and Signs MoU Toward Construction of the Fusion Pilot Plant6.7.2026 09:40:00 EEST | Press release
Helical Fusion Co., Ltd. (“Helical Fusion”), a Japan-based fusion energy startup developing fusion power plants, and HAZAMA ANDO CORPORATION (“HAZAMA ANDO”), a long-established Japanese general contractor, today announced that HAZAMA ANDO has become an Official Partner in the Helix Program, Helical Fusion’s commercial fusion initiative. The two companies have also signed a memorandum of understanding (“MoU”) to collaborate toward the construction of Helix KANATA, Helical Fusion’s Fusion Pilot Plant targeted for the 2030s. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260706176052/en/ (L-R) Kazuhiko Kuniya (Representative Director and President, HAZAMA ANDO CORPORATION) and Takaya Taguchi (Co-Founder and CEO, Helical Fusion Co., Ltd.) at a press conference in Tokyo on July 6, 2026. Fusion energy has the potential to shift the foundation of energy from natural resources to advanced technology by reproducing, on Earth, the sam
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom