Enzyme mouth spray could shorten cold duration

An oral spray containing a proteolytic enzyme reduced the severity and duration of the common cold, a randomised study has found^[1].

The trial involved 267 participants with a naturally occurring common cold, who were randomly assigned to use the spray, marketed as ColdZyme by Swedish life science company Enzymatica, six times daily within the first day of symptoms, or receive no treatment.

The researchers found that overall symptom scores on the Jackson cold scale within the first seven days were lower in the ColdZyme-treated group (area under the curve: 39.6 vs. 46.2). There were significant effects on the individual symptoms of sore throat, nose congestion and headache. Quality-of-life scores for all domains were improved and disease duration was shorter in the ColdZyme group.

The ColdZyme spray is a barrier solution containing glycerol and the enzyme trypsin, obtained from the Atlantic cod. Previous in vitro research showed that it can inactivate 99% of viruses that cause the common cold, including influenza and rhinovirus.

“The extremely convincing study results enable us to show the specific clinical benefit of using ColdZyme,” said Fredrik Lindberg, chief medical officer of Enzymatica, who presented the findings at the Icelandic Medical Association conference on 24 January 2019.

ColdZyme is licensed for use in the UK.