A nasal spray which could stop Covid infections for up to two days could be available in chemists by the summer, according to a researcher.
Dr Richard Moakes, from the University of Birmingham, has said his formula could help bring the UK out of ongoing lockdown restrictions.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the country would be plunged into a third national lockdown from January 4, with many businesses forced to shut up shop while schools have also been closed.
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Lead researcher of his team, Dr Moakes is said to have been in discussions with shops and pharmaceutical firms over mass producing the product, which has been in the pipeline since April, reports The Mirror.
A team of scientists at the University of Birmingham formulated the spray using compounds already widely approved by regulatory bodies in the UK, Europe and the US.
The materials are already used in medical devices, medicines and even food products, and it works by capturing the virus in the nose and trapping it in a coating.
Dr Moakes told the Telegraph : "As an over the shelf product, we have spoken to companies with a presence on the high street as we think they could distribute it effectively.
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"Based on the product, it will be much quicker to get to the user than a novel drug.
"I am confident that the formulation can make an impact. Our goal is to make an impact as soon as possible, we would really like to see this happen by summer."
The research team said that tests previously showed the spray prevented a coronavirus infection from spreading for up to 48 hours.
They believe using the spray four times a day would be enough for general protection, and that it is safe to be applied every 20 minutes if in a high-risk, densely populated environment such as schools.
The spray is made of two polysaccharide polymers. The first, an antiviral agent called carrageenan, is commonly used in foods as a thickening agent, while the second a solution called gellan, was selected for its ability to stick to cells inside the nose.
In November, Dr Moakes said that "with the right partners" the product could be mass produced "within weeks".
