Starpharma said that it is set to launch its Viraleze astodrimer sodium antiviral nasal spray within the next month after receiving approval to market the nasal spray in Europe and the UK. In September 2020, the company announced that astodrimer sodium had been shown to inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus. According to Starpharma, the formulation has the ability to inactivate nearly 100% of SARS-CoV-2 in 60 seconds and also has been shown to have activity against influenza, RSV, and other coronaviruses.
Viraleze is expected to be available for direct-to-consumer online sales in March 2021, and the company said that it is also “undertaking discussions with B2B customers (e.g. aged care, health care, travel providers, etc.), as well as with potential commercial partners seeking sales and marketing rights.” Starpharma said that it also plans to seek marketing authorization in additional countries “as soon as practicable.”
Starpharma CEO Jackie Fairley said, “Starpharma is pleased to have successfully developed a product that has the potential to assist with the fight against the global COVID‑19 pandemic. We are delighted to have completed registration of Viraleze in the UK and Europe ahead of our original schedule and acknowledge the support of local and international specialist laboratories who have assisted Starpharma with the development of Viraleze. We have already undertaken substantial launch preparations, including manufacturing in Europe, to ensure Viraleze is available to consumers and businesses as early as possible. Starpharma is focussed on making the product as widely available as possible, with further registrations and roll-out planned.”
Read the Starpharma press release.
