{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,10]],"date-time":"2026-10-10T07:14:50Z","timestamp":1791616490520,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"American Medical Association (AMA)","issue":"11","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JAMA Intern Med"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Importance<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Limited pharmaceutical options exist for preexposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 beyond vaccination. Azelastine, an antihistamine nasal spray used for decades to treat allergic rhinitis, has in vitro antiviral activity against respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To determine the efficacy and safety of azelastine nasal spray for prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infections in healthy adults.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design, Setting, and Participants<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center trial was conducted from March 2023 to July 2024. Healthy adults from the general population were enrolled at the Saarland University Hospital in Germany.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Interventions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive azelastine, 0.1%, nasal spray or placebo 3 times daily for 56 days. SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen testing (RAT) was conducted twice weekly, with positive results confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Symptomatic participants with negative RAT results underwent multiplex PCR testing for respiratory viruses.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Main Outcome<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The primary end point was the number of PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections during the study.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A total of 450 participants were randomized, with 227 assigned to azelastine and 223 to placebo; 299 (66.4%) were female, 151 (33.6%) male, with a mean (SD) age of 33.0 (13.3) years. Most were White (417 [92.7%]), with 4 (0.9%) African, 22 (4.9%) Asian, and 7 (1.6%) of other ethnicity. In the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, the incidence of PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly lower in the azelastine group (n\u2009=\u20095 [2.2%]) compared with the placebo group (n\u2009=\u200915 [6.7%]) (OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.11-0.87). As secondary end points, azelastine demonstrated an increase in mean (SD) time to SARS-CoV-2 infection among infected participants (31.2 [9.3] vs 19.5 [14.8] days), a reduction of the overall number of PCR-confirmed symptomatic infections (21 of 227 participants vs 49 of 223 participants), and a lower incidence of PCR-confirmed rhinovirus infections (1.8% vs 6.3%). Adverse events were comparable between the groups.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions and Relevance<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In this single-center trial, azelastine nasal spray was associated with reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infections. These findings support the potential of azelastine as a safe prophylactic approach warranting confirmation in larger, multicentric trials.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Trial registration<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      EudraCT number:\n                      <jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" ext-link-type=\"uri\" xlink:href=\"https:\/\/drks.de\/search\/de\/trial\/DRKS00031059\">2022-003756-13<\/jats:ext-link>\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1001\/jamainternmed.2025.4283","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]],"date-time":"2025-09-02T15:00:31Z","timestamp":1756825231000},"page":"1309","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Azelastine Nasal Spray for Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 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