New nasal COVID treatment being tested at Brigham and Women's Hospital

BOSTON – Local researchers have some promising news about a new drug that could combat COVID-19 and other inflammatory diseases, and it's given through the nose.

Current monoclonal antibody treatments which are given by IV and target the spike protein of the coronavirus are no longer effective against circulating variants. But researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital have tested a different type of monoclonal antibody that is designed to stimulate anti-inflammatory cells in the body and could hopefully work against any coronavirus variant. 

They found that when the drug was given intranasally to 39 patients with COVID-19 daily for 10 days, it dampened the inflammatory response to the virus and decreased lung inflammation without significant side effects. 

They also found that the drug might be helpful in multiple sclerosis, by reducing brain inflammation. 

The team now plans to conduct larger trials in patients with long COVID, MS, and other conditions like Alzheimer's disease.