Iota-carrageenan inhibits the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into human cells.
Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) remains a significant public health threat.
The antiviral efficacy of iota-carrageenan has been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo against a variety of respiratory viruses (rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, influenza and parainfluenza, human metapneumovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, etc.).
The therapeutic effectiveness of iota-carrageenan has been proven in clinical trials with more than 600 patients suffering from viral respiratory infections. The main advantage of iota-carrageenan is its broad antiviral activity against different virus strains, which is particularly important when it comes to rhinoviruses or coronaviruses.
Typically, people can become ill with COVID-19 after the virus has entered the body through the nose or throat.
Iota-carrageenan (the active ingredient in AGOVIRAX®) coats the surface of the nasopharyngeal mucosa, forming a physical barrier that helps to protect against the spread of viruses that cause respiratory infections. This in turn may suppress the viral load in the mucous membrane and the body’s natural defences may fight the infection more efficiently.
Iota-carrageenan inhibits the cell entry of SARS-CoV-2 and reduces the risk of COVID-19 infection by up to 80%2
The clinical trial involved 394 physicians who were in contact with patients infected with COVID-19. 196 physicians were prescribed nasal spray containing iota-carrageenan for 20 days and 198 were given placebo. The incidence of COVID-19 during the study was significantly different between the subjects who received nasal spray with iota-carrageenan (2 out of 196 [1.0%]) and subjects who received placebo (10 out of 198 [5.0%]). The relative reduction in COVID-19 risk was found to be 79.8%.
Iota-carrageenan reduces the viral load in nasopharyngeal mucosa by up to 92%1
Patients with the first cold symptoms were divided into two treatment groups: iota-carrageenan and placebo. For the determination of respiratory virus load, quantitative PCR analysis was performed in all subjects on the first visit. The resulting values of virus positive samples were set at 100%. A second quantitative PCR analysis was performed 3 to 5 days after the start of treatment. The quantity of virus positive samples at the second visit was calculated in percent of the value of the first visit.
Viral load in the placebo group increased almost 6-fold (579%), while it dramatically decreased by 92% in the iota-carrageenan group (p < 0.009). This result indicates that the treatment of patients with iota-carrageenan leads to a highly statistically significant reduction of viral load in the mucous membranes.
Iota-carrageenan shortens the duration of the disease by 2 days3
The intensity of symptoms was similar for iota-carrageenan (6.42 ± 0.18) and placebo (6.59 ± 0.16) treated patients at visit one. The duration of disease in the iota-carrageenan group diminished by 2 days on average, as compared to the placebo group (in children group 7.6 vs 9.4 days, in adults group 11.6 vs 13.7 days).
Iota-carrageenan reduces the severity of common cold symptoms by up to 3 times1
Severity of symptoms was calculated by assessing the average severity of eight individual symptoms (headache, muscle ache, fever, sore throat, blocked nose, runny nose, coughing and sneezing). Reduction of symptom severity in iota-carrageenan group was visible as of day 4. The other group felt relief much later.
Iota-carrageenan lowers frequency of relapses by 2-fold3
In the iota carrageenan group, the disease recurred in 14% of patients, while in the placebo group it recurred in 30% (p = 0.01).
As some patients had more than one relapse during the observation period, the average number of relapses per patient was calculated. The average number of relapses per patient was 0.15 in the iota-carrageenan group and 0.38 in the placebo group (p = 0.01).
After consuming a single lozenge, Iota-Carrageenan concentration in saliva is sufficient to inhibit respiratory viruses13
After the administration of AGOVIRAX® lozenge, the iota-carrageenan saliva concentration reached more than 60 times the minimum level needed to reduce the replication or binding of tested viruses.13
IC90 (inhibitory concentration 90%) – the concentration that inhibits 90% of a certain process (e.g., the growth of a virus or bacteria).
