Study Finds That ColdZyme Mouth Spray Deactivates More Than 98% of COVID-19 Virus

Recently, a Swedish life science company announced that the results of a preliminary, in vitro study indicated that a mouth spray, called ColdZyme, could potentially deactivate SARS-CoV-2—otherwise known as the virus that’s behind the COVID-19 pandemic that’s been sweeping the globe since last 2019.

The company, Enzymatica, stated that the study demonstrated that ColdZyme deactivates SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus by about 98.3 percent, offering a unique protective barrier against harmful viruses like SARS-CoV-2 (and others) by local virus deactivation in the oral cavity.

The study itself was designed to first determine the ability of ColdZyme to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 known to cause the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a viricidal efficacy suspension test was conducted using ColdZyme against SARS-CoV-2.

The result? SARS-CoV-2 was deactivated by ColdZyme by up to 98.3 percent in about 20 minutes.

What is ColdZyme?

ColdZyme is a medical device mouth spray that was initially designed to form a barrier in the oral cavity to help protect against cold viruses. The barrier solution that comprises the device is mainly made up of glycerol and Atlantic cod trypsin.

The intention of the barrier is to help reduce the probability of catching a cold, but it can also help to shorten the duration of a cold if used at an early phase of the infection by forming a thin, protective barrier on the pharyngeal mucous membrane.

Because SARS-CoV-2 actively replicates in the throat and shows high viral shedding (even at a time of mild symptoms), ColdZyme could (when sprayed onto the mouth and throat) potentially lower the risk of infection and decrease the local viral load.

Understanding the Study: What the ColdZyme Study Sought to Solve

The in vitro study that was conducted on ColdZyme was based on a standardized and validated methodology. Its intention was to determine the feasibility of ColdZyme to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 known to cause COVID-19 pandemic. Further, it was shown that no cytotoxicity was detected for ColdZyme at any dilution tested.

As it stands, the current in vitro results do not directly translate into clinical efficacy. That being said, the results are still piquing the interest of researchers, scientists, doctors, and more. Why? Because ColdZyme is able to effectively deactivate SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, meaning it constitutes a proof-of-principle that can be taken further into clinical studies.

What does this mean? The results indicate that ColdZyme could offer a protective barrier against SARS-CoV-2—even if the study isn’t able to definitively claim that as of it.

Even more interesting? Previous in vitro results using the same methodology demonstrated that ColdZyme is effective against another coronavirus—one known as HCoV-229E. This coronavirus is one of the causes of the common cold and, compared to SARS-CoV-2, belongs to another subgroup within that corona family.

What does this unique result mean? ColdZyme could be effective against a variety of coronaviruses. While this certainly isn’t definitive as of yet, these results do yield the need for further testing and potential clinical efficacy trials.