Preventing airborne infection with an intranasal cellulose powder formulation (Nasaleze Travel®)

Hiltunen, Raimo; Josling, Peter D.; James, Mike H.

A total of 52 volunteers were recruited to take part in a dual-centered, randomized, blinded study so investigators could determine whether the level of airborne infection could be significantly reduced in patients randomly assigned to treatment with either Nasaleze® cellulose extract alone or a combination of Nasaleze cellulose and powdered garlic extract (PGE). One puff into each nostril was recommended, and volunteers who developed an infection while traveling were told to use at least 3 puffs per nostril until symptoms were reduced. This study took place over an 8-wk period across Finland and the United Kingdom between November 2006 and March 2007. Volunteers were instructed to use a 5-point scale to assess their health and to record infectious episodes and symptoms in a daily diary. The activetreatment group (Nasaleze cellulose with PCE) experienced significantly fewer infections than the control group (20 vs 57; P<.001) and far fewer days on which an infection was obviously present (126 d in the active group vs 240 d in the control group; P<.05). Consequently, volunteers in the active group were less likely to pick up an airborne infection when PCE was added to this novel cellulose extract. Volunteers in the control group were much more likely to report more than 1 infectious episode over the treatment period or to endure longer periods of infection. The investigators concluded that the combination Nasaleze Travel formulation significantly reduced the number of airborne infections to which volunteers were exposed while traveling.