Introduction
infection
COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019), HAND INFECTION, ALLERGIC RHINITIS, INFECTION, CORONAVIRUS, SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME
Since viral levels during early infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) tend to be highest in the nose and nasopharynxAzelastine hydrochloride nasal spray is an approved medicinal product currently available at a concentration of 0.1% w/v to treat allergic rhinitis. The active substance (azelastine hydrochloride) is a histamine-1 receptor antagonist, which shows anti-inflammatory effects via mast cell stabilization and inhibition of leukotriene and pro-inflammatory cytokine productionSince the start of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, several independent research groups revealed azelastine’s potential as a promising candidate for drug repurposing to reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral load and infection ratesBy application of a novel computational approach based on Shannon entropy homology, Konrat et al. identified azelastine as an anti-viral candidate and demonstrated pronounced anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitroThe aim of our study was to support the preclinical evidence for azelastine’s antiviral activity in patients tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The study was termed CARVIN (referring to 