ITC starts clinical trials of nasal spray for COVID-19 prevention

ITC yesterday confirmed that it is developing a nasal spray for COVID-19 prevention for which it has initiated clinical trials.

Developed by scientists at ITC Life Sciences and Technology Centre (LSTC), Bengaluru, the company plans to market the nasal spray under the Savlon brand once it gets all the requisite regulatory approvals, according to sources.

When contacted for comments, a spokesperson of ITC said, “We are unable to share more details at the current moment as the clinical trials are underway.”

The spokesperson declined to comment on a detailed query on where is the clinical trial being done, from where the commercial production would be done when approved and under what brand the nasal spray would be marketed.

However, sources said the company had received approvals from ethics committees and is registered with Clinical Trial Registry-India (CTRI) for clinical trials of the nasal spray which is designed to arrest the virus at the entry point in the nasal cavity itself.