(NewsNation) — A commonly used over-the-counter nasal spray may help prevent COVID-19 infections, a recent clinical trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine found.

The study was conducted at Saarland University Hospital in Germany and included twice-weekly COVID-19 testing on 450 healthy and mostly vaccinated adults. Roughly half were given azelastine nasal spray to take three times a day in each nostril, and the others were given a placebo.

Researchers found that by the end of the study, the prevalence of COVID-19 infections in the azelastine group was 2.2%, lower than the 6.7% rate of infection in the placebo group.

“Together, these results suggest that azelastine may provide meaningful protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the study said.

Azelastine is an antihistamine widely u

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