A common hay fever nasal spray was found to cut COVID-19 infections by two-thirds in a clinical trial, while also reducing rhinovirus cases. Researchers believe it could serve as an easy, low-cost preventive measure, pending further studies. Saarland University. “Common allergy spray slashes COVID-19 risk in surprising trial.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250907024535.htm (accessed September 7, 2025).

For Robert Bals, the results suggest practical applications: ‘Azelastine nasal spray could provide an additional easily accessible prophylactic to complement existing protective measures, especially for vulnerable groups, during periods of high infection rates, or before travelling.’ But Professor Bals also stressed the importance of further research: ‘Our results highlight the need for larger, multicentre trials to continue exploring the use of azelastine nasal sprays as an on-demand preventive treatment, and to examine its potential effectiveness against other respiratory pathogens.’

Link to the Jama article – https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2838335 Azelastine Nasal Spray for Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infections