Indian firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals and Canadian biotech firm SaNOtize Research & Development Corp have announced an exclusive long-term strategic partnership to manufacture, market and distribute its breakthrough Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) for COVID-19 treatment in India and other Asian markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Nepal, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. 

In March 2021, SaNOtize’s clinical trials showed NONS was a safe and effective antiviral treatment to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, shorten its course, and reduce the severity of symptoms.

Available in the form of a simple nasal spray, it is designed to kill the virus in the upper airways, preventing it from incubating and spreading to the lungs. It is based on nitric oxide (NO), a natural nano-molecule with proven anti-microbial properties, and which has a direct effect on SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19.

In early July 2021, Glenmark presented a proposal to the Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in India, for emergency approval for the import and marketing of the nasal spray.

The committee has recommended a  Phase III clinical trial to be conducted in Indian patients in the weeks to follow. The Phase III clinical trial for NONS is expected to be completed, followed by a commercial launch under the brand name FabiSpray in India, by the fourth quarter of the calendar year 2021.