Benzydamine Hydrochloride (BH) and Cetylpyridinium Chloride (CPC) found efficacious in Covid-caused sore throat

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 percent in as fast as 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. Benzydamine HCl- and Cetylpyridinium Cl-containing throat lozenges, however, 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,” (doi.org/10.3390/Covid1020037), which has since been republished with permission in the Romanian Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice (Sarafoleanu C et al, 2021).