Thought Archive

The Allergy Spray That Might Prevent COVID — Or Just a Marketer’s Dream?

16 Sept 2025

The Allergy Spray That Might Prevent COVID — Or Just a Marketer’s Dream?

Hook

An over-the-counter allergy spray just cut COVID infections by two-thirds in a clinical trial. Sounds like a miracle, right?

Not so fast.

Context

A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine tested azelastine, a common nasal spray for hay fever, in 450 healthy adults. Over two months, the placebo group had 15 infections while the azelastine group had just 5.

That’s a 67% relative reduction — a headline statistic. But in absolute terms? About 5 fewer infections per 100 people. Promising, but hardly a silver bullet.

Your Take

Here’s where things get murky:

  • Marketer’s dream: Take a decades-old allergy product, add a new use-case, and publish it in a top journal. Instant credibility, instant buzz.
  • Slippery slope: The “prevention” trial quietly allowed dose escalation to 5 sprays a day if participants were exposed or symptomatic. That’s less prevention, more treatment — and a confounder in such a small study.
  • Practicality gap: Three sprays a day for months on end? Realistic for most people? Unlikely.
  • Sponsorship: The trial was funded by Ursapharm, the company that makes the spray. Several investigators had financial ties. That doesn’t erase the findings, but it does demand independent confirmation.

Implications

So what do we have? A safe, cheap, widely available product that might reduce COVID and even rhinovirus infections. Interesting. Worth more research.

But let’s be clear: this is not a public health solution yet. It’s an early signal — and a reminder that relative risk reductions can sound dramatic while hiding modest absolute effects.

FAQ

Q: Should I start using this spray to prevent COVID?
A: No. It is not approved for that purpose, and no health authority recommends it.

Q: Is it safe?
A: Yes, for allergies — bitter taste, nosebleeds, and mild fatigue are the main side effects. Its long-term use for COVID prevention hasn’t been tested.

Further Reading

Closing

An intriguing result, but let’s not confuse a marketer’s dream with a public health breakthrough. Until larger, independent trials confirm the benefit, azelastine remains just that: an allergy spray with an interesting footnote.