A nasal spray claiming to provide up to eight hours of protection from COVID-19 has removed the assertion from its packaging after being warned by regulators.
Bottles of CofixRX Nasal Spray — sold in 800 U.S. pharmacies for $24.95 each —made the bold statement when they first went on sale.
They quickly caught the attention of local media, with some outlets reporting the drug could be a potential defense against the virus.
But the company quietly removed the claim this month after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accused it of selling a 'mislabeled' and 'unauthorized' product.
These types of sprays have emerged are marketed as a potential way to avoid a Covid infection, although none have been proven to work.
The above pictures show the spray on the website before the FDA threatened to pull it from shelves (left) and afterwards (right). It reveals that the up to eight hour protection claim has been removed, and a phrase added at the top saying the spray may not prevent an infection
CofixRX is sold at more than 800 pharmacies across the US (pictured) for about $24.95 each. Pharmacists say it is a best-seller locally
Nasal sprays for preventing infections with respiratory viruses — including Covid — are gaining popularity in the U.S. as a quick way to protect someone for infection.
But the FDA is yet to have authorized a single one for use in preventing a Covid infection.
Unapproved nasal sprays are allowed to be sold, though, as long as they do not make false claims or use drugs that are only available via prescription.
The CofixRX Nasal Spray was developed by eight doctors in Detroit, Michigan, who claimed it could protect people from catching Covid.
One pharmacist in the state told local news that over the first three months he stocked the spray it became a 'best-seller'.
Bill Lemanski, owner of Notre Dame Pharmacy in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, less than ten miles east of Detroit, told ABC: 'I've got repeat buyers, especially the grandmothers and the mothers who are buying it for their kids at school.'
