Lozenges containing both Benzydamine Hydrochloride (BH) and Cetylpyridinium Chloride (CPC) foundefficacious in COVID-caused sore throat OTC throat lozenges may be effective against COVID-19 We know your over-the-counter throat lozenge can relieve a sore throat and can help manage a

pesky cold or cough.  But can they take the wind out of the sails of the dreaded Covid-19 virus?

 

The question got a fresh look recently after researchers at Microbiology and Immunology Institute of

the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, found that throat lozenges containing a combination of

Benzydamine Hydrochloride (BH) and Cetylpyridinium Chloride (CPC) may have a virucidal effect

against Covid-19 and help reduce the risk of viral transmission.

  

Virus-killing Action against SARS-CoV-2 

The preliminary findings, based on testing in a defined and controlled laboratory environment

designed to mimic the conditions of the oral cavity, found that all three test settings showed strong

virucidal (virus killing) activity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 infection.

In fact, the throat lozenge test products in a high concentration were the fastest at destroying the

virus, reducing the viral concentration by 99.99% in as fast as 1 (one) minute. This also suggests the

possibility of reducing the amount of virus in the oral cavity as well as reducing the risk of viral

transmission.

Encouraging step in fight against Covid-19 

While it’s important to note that the study is yet to be peer-reviewed, with economic activities opening

up and the country on Alert Level 1, these results are extremely encouraging and a positive step in

finding ways to manage the spread of COVID-19; especially through a simple and effective method

such as using widely available medicated sore throat lozenges.

Getting Vaccinated with Booster shot, and the observance of standard health protocols such as

proper handwashing, physical distancing and mask-wearing are the current mainstays for the

reduction of virus spread. However, Benzydamine HCl and Cetylpyridinium Cl containing throat

lozenges could prove to be another valuable tool.

*The results of this study were first published by Andrej Steyer, Misa Marusic, Marko Kolenc, Tina

Triglav from the Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, University of

Ljubljana, Slovenia, in the article “A throat lozenge with fixed combination of cetylpyridinium chloride

and benzydamine hydrochloride has direct virucidal effect on SARS-CoV-2”, COVID, 2021;1(2):435-

446 (Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/Covid1020037) which has since been republished with

permission in the Romanian Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice (Sarafoleanu C et al, 2021).