MANILA, Philippines — Drug outlets and suppliers of nasal sprays being touted to prevent or treat COVID are under investigation, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
“We will go after those selling nasal sprays illegally,” FDA chief Eric Domingo said in a text message.
Last Sept. 10, the FDA issued an advisory that nasal spray products have been authorized in the Philippines as “medical devices which are intended for short-term use in the nasal cavity and serves as mechanical barriers from particulates.”
The FDA underscored that these products “should not be used as substitute to medicines and vaccines to prevent or treat SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.”
In a public briefing yesterday, Domingo noted there are nasal sprays in the country that are undergoing clinical trial, but none has been proven as a treatment for COVID-19.