VIRALEZE™ antiviral nasal spray registered in Vietnam with launch to follow this week

MELBOURNE, Australia, Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Australian biotech company Starpharma today announced that its broad spectrum antiviral nasal spray, VIRALEZE™, has been registered for sale in Vietnam, with the product scheduled to launch in Vietnam this week.

VIRALEZE™ contains an antiviral agent, referred to as SPL7013, which has been shown in laboratory studies to have potent antiviral and virucidal activity in multiple respiratory/cold viruses. Further, SPL7013 has been shown in laboratory studies to inactivate more than 99.9% of multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), including the highly infectious Delta variant. These studies have been published in international peer-reviewed journals.

VIRALEZE™ is applied in the nose to provide a physical barrier - between viruses and the nasal mucous membrane - that traps and irreversibly inactivates virus.

Importantly, VIRALEZE™'s mechanism of action means that mutations of the spike protein that make SARS-CoV-2 more infectious, as occurred for the Delta strain, appear to make the virus more susceptible to trapping and blocking by SPL7013.

Vietnam, which has a population of approximately 98 million, is experiencing a significant Delta outbreak with ~50 per cent of its population fully vaccinated^[1].

The launch of VIRALEZE™ in Vietnam this week is being supported by extensive promotional activities and will be attended by key health officials, healthcare leaders, and media. Given the impact of the current Delta outbreak in Vietnam, a portion of VIRALEZE™ from the initial supply order will be donated to hospitals and other healthcare organisations in Vietnam.

Starpharma has supplied VIRALEZE™ to Vietnam under an initial supply arrangement, for ~100,000 units, in partnership with Australian-based Healthco and Vietnam-based Truong Bao Land, who will also utilise the local medical distribution networks in Vietnam. In parallel, a further distribution agreement for additional larger orders of VIRALEZE™ is being finalised, which will allow subsequent orders and ongoing supply in Vietnam.

Dr Jackie Fairley, Starpharma CEO commented: "Starpharma is pleased to have achieved another registration for VIRALEZE™, and we are excited to see the product launched in Vietnam this week. This registration, the first in Southeast Asia, builds upon registrations already achieved in Europe, India and New Zealand, and further regulatory submissions in multiple regions and countries."

VIRALEZE™ is also available in certain markets at www.Viraleze.co.

^[1] https://covidvax.live/location/vnm