Venture Life joins Covid-19 mouthwash trial

Self-care products company Venture Life announced its involvement in a UK-led clinical trial on Covid-19 patients on Monday, in partnership with Cardiff University.

The AIM-traded firm had announced its support for further research into the idea that using mouthwash could reduce the transmission of enveloped viruses such as Covid-19 on 15 May.

It said on Monday that the new independent, multi-centre clinical study, which was being led by Professor David Thomas at Cardiff, would investigate the possibility that using over-the-counter mouthwashes could help to reduce the viral load, and thus the transmission of Covid-19 in the mouth.

Venture Life said it was “delighted” to confirm that its mouthwash brand ‘Dentyl’ would be involved in the UK clinical trial.

It said a literature review of previous research led by Professor Valerie O'Donnell at Cardiff, and expert input from a group of virologists, microbiocide experts, lipid specialists and healthcare experts from the universities of Cardiff, Nottingham, Ottawa and Barcelona, published in May, suggested the possibility that certain mouthwashes could be used to help reduce transmission of enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV2, but that more research was needed to test the idea.

The review concluded that cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) could be effective in that respect.

Venture Life said its Dentyl mouthwash, which is currently sold in the UK and 11 other countries, contains CPC as its main active ingredient.

The clinical study entitled 'the measurement of mouthwash antiviral activity against Covid-19’ would be starting this month, and was expected to last for 12 weeks.

It would be a multi-centre study, and would recruit patients currently in hospital with Covid-19, beginning at Cardiff Hospital.

“We are the only mouthwash manufacturer to be involved in the Cardiff University clinical study on Covid-19 patients; we are delighted to support this independent study to further explore the initial findings that CPC may reduce the viral load and therefore the possible transmission of Covid-19,” said chief executive officer Jerry Randall.

“Our Dentyl mouthwash, which uses CPC as its main antibacterial agent, has been developed by dentists and is recommended by dentists to reduce plaque in the mouth, and is very effective at this.

“We are excited at the prospect that this long standing, well known mouthwash product could help in the fight against Covid-19.”

At 1512 BST, shares in Venture Life Group were up 7.51% at 93p.