The common cold is the most persistent human illness.
Cough, sore throat and runny nose are all symptoms of one of the most persistent and ubiquitous illnesses known to man—the common cold. The infectious disease affects millions of people globally, with adults contracting it two to four times a year and the rate of frequency doubling for kids.
The common cold is caused by a number of viruses, with rhinoviruses accounting for almost 50% of cases. Viruses are notoriously hard to develop cures for due to their dual nature. Unlike bacteria, viruses can only reproduce inside host cells, essentially hijacking our cellular machinery to multiply and spread.
Most over-the-counter (OTC) treatments for the common cold have not been found to be highly efficacious, with aspirin being the most effective in tackling symptoms.
However, this could change soon thanks to a new study which tested the effectiveness of a promising treatment via a double-blind, placebo- controlled clinical trial.
Developed by researchers at Applied Biological Laboratories, a biotechnology company based in New York, the treatment called Biovanta includes a throat spray containing Mucosal Immune Complex (MIC).
The study found that combining the throat spray with anti-inflammatory salicylates like aspirin effectively reduced cold symptoms. Interesting Engineering (IE) spoke to the founder of the company and lead author of the study, Dr Nazlie Latefi, about the development of the drug and subsequent trial.
Sharing the motivation behind developing the drug, Latefi told IE, “Through my research, I discovered that cold and flu symptoms are caused by inflammation, but I could not find any products in the category that treat the root cause."
Viral invasion and the body’s response
The virus that causes colds most often spreads via airborne transmission through the nose, eyes, or mouth, but it can also spread through contact with contaminated surfaces.
The virus targets the cells lining the nasal cavity, known as epithelial cells, hijacking them and releasing their own genetic material. This process causes the epithelial cells to burst, releasing the viral particles to spread and replicate.
The human body is adept at recognizing foreign particles that have invaded it. The detection of these foreign particles alerts the immune system to try and fight off the infection.
The immune response starts with inflammation of the blood vessels, which leads to swelling in the affected regions and increased mucus production to trap the viruses.
Further, the nerve endings in the throat are exposed, resulting in a sore throat. The body temperature is raised to prevent the spread of the virus since it slows down in warmer temperatures. This is why you’re more likely to catch a cold in the winter!
White blood cells, which are the fighters of the immune system, are released over the next few days as the body tries to fight off the illness. The combination of the virus’s invasion and immune responses damages the respiratory tract, creating opportunities for secondary bacterial infections.
While white blood cells remember how to fight off a familiar strain of virus, the cold viruses mutate often. The high number of strains of the viruses means that immunity is short-lived. This is one of the main challenges with finding a cure.
The elusive virus cure
The sheer volume of cold viruses makes it challenging to find a cure since each one comprises different proteins and mechanisms for infecting the body.
Paired with our limited knowledge of how viruses actually infect, there has been a huge gap in finding an effective treatment for the cold. However, a breakthrough came in 2009 with the development of organoids.
“Organoids are three-dimensional miniature human organs. They allow us to study exactly how viruses infect. We use respiratory organoids to test what happens after infection and the best way to prevent infection. We were able to use this powerful scientific tool that was not available before,” Dr Latefi explains.
Dr Latefi and her team found that all respiratory symptoms are caused by specific inflammatory pathways, and stabilizing these inflammatory pathways strengthens the respiratory barrier, similar to gut bacteria. This is a different approach than most current OTC medications for colds.
Efficacy of cold treatments
Most current OTC cold treatments have one of the following ingredients, pseudoephedrine for nasal congestion, guaifenesin for mucus-related symptoms, dextromethorphan for coughs, and anti-inflammatories like aspirin for pain and fever.
The evidence for their efficacy varies. While pseudoephedrine and guaifenesin have been shown to work, dextromethorphan has mixed results, showing limited efficacy when used as a single-dose medication.
Several studies have highlighted the role of the placebo effect in cold treatments. The placebo effect occurs when a person’s symptoms improve after taking a fake treatment, typically a sugar pill. The improvement comes from the person’s belief in the treatment rather than any active ingredient.
Among OTC medications, anti-inflammatories like aspirin have shown the most promise, demonstrating approximately 25 to 30% improvement in overall illness severity compared to placebo.
Commenting on this, Dr Latefi observes, “Most of these ingredients were approved through the FDA monograph system in the 1950s-1970s when science was not very advanced and clinical trials were not very rigorous.”
“At that time, the FDA was much less concerned with efficacy, and the standards for safety were much less stringent than they are today,” she adds. Her team’s approach was to use a multi-targeted treatment focusing on protecting respiratory tissue while reducing inflammation.
A new approach
The MIC throat spray developed by Applied Biological Laboratories combined three ingredients—lysozyme, lactoferrin, and aloe.
Lysozyme is a protein found in saliva, mucus, and other bodily secretions that guard against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. It has anti-microbial effects, offering protection against secondary bacterial infections.
Similarly, lactoferrin is also a protein found in biological fluids, including tears, saliva, milk, and blood. It binds directly to multiple viruses, blocking their entry into epithelial cells.
Previous studies on lysozyme and lactoferrin have shown that reduced levels of both proteins in the mucosa lead to an increased susceptibility to illness. The combination of these proteins with aloe, which can help strengthen the respiratory lining, is meant to boost the body’s immune system.
According to a previous study conducted by Dr Latefi, the MIC was tested using human respiratory organoid tissues, showing that it boosted the anti-inflammatory properties of aspirin. This most likely happens by protecting the epithelial cells along the respiratory tract.
Explaining the importance of reducing inflammation, Dr. Latefi says, “Inflammation and the respiratory epithelia are intricately linked. Inflammation compromises the barrier because as inflammation increases, epithelial cells die, creating perforations for the virus to enter, which in turn causes inflammation. This creates a vicious cycle.”
Randomized controlled trial
To test the efficacy of their MIC throat spray, the team conducted a double-blind, randomized controlled trial, the gold standard for medical research, on 157 participants.
This means that the participants were randomly assigned to receive either the treatment or the placebo (which acts as the control group or base level). Neither the researchers nor the participants knew who got which, ensuring that the results weren’t influenced by expectations or bias.
There were three treatment groups, along with the control or placebo group.
Treatment 1: MIC spray with 6 mg aspirin and a placebo tablet.
Treatment 2: MIC spray with 6 mg wintergreen oil and a placebo tablet.
Treatment 3: MIC spray with 6 mg wintergreen oil and a 325 mg aspirin tablet.
Wintergreen oil contains methyl salicylate, which works similarly to aspirin. The participants used the throat spray hourly and the tablets every four hours.
The outcomes were measured using two metrics. First, the Sore Throat Pain Intensity Scale (STPIS) on a scale of 0-100 after 36 hours and second, the Modified Jackson Score (MJS) for eight cold symptoms.
Promising results
The results showed that sore throat pain, measured by STPIS, decreased by 68% to 75% within 36 hours across the treatment groups, with placebo showing only a 14% improvement.
Other cold symptoms, measured by MJS, showed a more varied decrease from 38% to 68% for the three treatments. The group that received the third treatment variation showed the greatest improvement, but all treatments were significantly better than the placebo.
More specifically, treatments two and three showed a reduction in nasal congestion by 57% to 67%, while treatment three alone showed a 72% reduction in cough. “We can see symptoms start to improve, and by the second day, we see improvements of over 70%,” says Dr Latefi.
A 70% reduction in symptoms would mean the difference between being bedridden and being able to go about one’s daily activities. Compared to current treatments that reduce symptoms by about 25%, this could make catching a cold a lot less miserable!
The multi-targeted approach adopted here is a refreshing take on cold treatment, focusing on strengthening respiratory defenses while reducing inflammation. While the initial results are promising, larger trials with broader demographic representation would help confirm these findings for diverse populations.
The treatment is already available in the market and the researchers are looking to test it for shortening the duration of flu and allergies. These promising results offer hope for treating an illness that has long evaded effective intervention.
Where to Find Biovanta Products
Looking for a natural solution to support your immunity and alleviate cold symptoms? You can find Biovanta products with ease! Visit our Buy Now page to explore a list of retailers and online platforms where our scientifically-backed, natural cold and flu remedies are available.
