Historic discovery by Turkish scientists

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified JN.1, a sub-variant of the coronavirus seen in many countries around the world, as a “variant of interest” due to its rapid spread. These announcements have once again brought masks, social distancing, and vaccines to people's minds. While many people try to take their own precautions to avoid the vaccine, which has become a nightmare for some, it is unknown how successful these efforts are. Aiming to overcome the hesitation people have toward vaccination due to various concerns and to provide a benefit to society, pharmacist Nazif Kara, who has been in the profession for 47 years, and Prof. Dr. Kadir Yeşilbağ, Head of the Virology Department at Uludağ University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, announced that the nasal spray they have been working on for two years has reached its final phase. Stating that they have completed the research and development stage, Kara and Yeşilbağ said they are awaiting support from Ministry of Health officials for clinical phase studies.

The team, which meticulously carried out the necessary procedures in the laboratory, shared their latest findings with the İhlas News Agency. Commenting on the subject, Prof. Dr. Kadir Yeşilbağ said, “As human interactions increase in urban life, the transmission rate and frequency of diseases, especially those transmitted through the respiratory tract, can increase. We put this into practice effectively during the pandemic period. All our citizens have internalized this. There are certain needs arising from this. In situations where human, environmental, and animal interaction increases, the frequency and variety of diseases can also increase. This can sometimes manifest as a pandemic or sometimes as milder local epidemics. A vast majority of these diseases are caused by viruses. They spread very quickly. The drugs we use for these diseases can have some unwanted side effects alongside their desired effects. We set out to develop a drug that would have minimal unwanted effects but could stop the virus before the infection even begins. We obtained a product with natural ingredients. Its cytotoxicity tests, in particular, showed that its potential to cause any harmful effect is extremely low.” Stating that they achieved striking results when they conducted virus-stopping experiments, Yeşilbağ added, “We observed that it stops the virus from replicating by 99.9 percent. In addition to this striking data, we saw that it also prevents the virus from entering the cell by 99 percent. This means that the infection is stopped before it begins and before it spreads through your body.”

Stating that he worked day and night for the production of the nasal spray and for it to be beneficial to people, 47-year veteran pharmacist Nazif Kara said, “I felt responsible during the pandemic period. At a time when 300 people were losing their lives every day in Turkey, I thought about what I could do as a pharmacist. Thinking that masks, social distancing, and hygiene were not enough, I believed we needed to go one step further. I worked on some formulas. I shared these with Prof. Dr. Kadir Yeşilbağ, Head of the Virology Department at Uludağ University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Together with his team, we have been working on this patiently for 2 years. We have achieved good results. We have passed the most important phase, which is the research, development, and preclinical stage. We are only waiting for support from Ministry of Health officials for the clinical phase studies.”

News Source: İHA