Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology

Abstract

Chlorpheniramine maleate nasal spray in COVID-19 patients: Case Series

Joselit Torres, Camille Celeste Go, Farah Chohan, Genesis Camacho, Marcos A Sanchez-Gonzalez, Gustavo Ferrer

The pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) posted a devastating global health crisis. Very little is known about this virus that it is difficult to find treatments of this novel virus. The vaccine that can potentially combat this virus is under works hence, the repurposing of existing medical treatments such as chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM) could be a possible treatment. CPM is a safe and effective antihistamine with potent antiviral activity against various strains of influenza A/B, thus highlighting its great antiviral potential.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a droplet mode transmission with a notably high viral load especially the nose. Several studies postulated that the nose is possibly the primary route of entry of SARS-CoV-2 owing to the high expression of Angiotensin 2 converting enzyme receptors. We hypothesize that utilizing (CPM) nasal spray as an adjunct treatment to COVID-19 patients and reduce their clinical course and hasten their time to negativization via RT-PCR via nasopharyngeal swab. We present four symptomatic patients with mild-moderate risks. CPM nasal spray was added to their current supportive treatment. All four patients showed rapid improvement of their clinical symptoms with a shorter than average time to negativization on repeat nasopharyngeal swab via RT-PCR. No safety issues were encountered during the course of treatment. Given its years of excellent safety profile with remarkable clinical results as shown in this case series, we conclude that CPM nasal spray may be a potential adjunct treatment option in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.

Published Date: 2021-01-29; Received Date: 2021-01-08