Chewing Mask, the gum that protects against covid

Next February, in the Canary Islands and under the Chewing Mask brand, it will be possible to buy the first chewing gum that can protect against the transmission of the coronavirus, just as the use of hydroalcoholic gel, masks, and maintaining interpersonal distance are preventive measures. The idea was born at the beginning of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic's outbreak, among the managers of the Ideas Agitadas incubator in Barcelona.

Its founders, José Antonio González-Cuevas and Curro Espinós, considered that it would be appropriate to use some ingredient that would make the oral territory a hostile place for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and they obtained the scientific support of Marcos Isamat, a doctor in Molecular Immunology from the University of Cambridge.

Now, 18 months later, and after carrying out various technical tests in Spanish, German, and British laboratories, they have managed to formulate and industrially scale a new chewing gum that inactivates between 75% and 99% of lipid-enveloped viruses, including Covid-19 and seasonal flu. To do this, the chewing gum incorporates into its formulation a mixture of three naturally occurring acids capable of lowering the pH and destroying lipids and deactivating the coronavirus in the mouth, the main replication space.

The effectiveness of the chewing gum was tested in a Berlin laboratory that "tested the in vitro virucidal activity of the product and it has also been validated by the Autonomous University of Barcelona on repeated occasions," explains González-Cuevas. The publicist adds that tests were carried out to "guarantee the safety of the compound both on human mucous membranes and in terms of dental erosion" and specifies that it has been ruled out to market the product as a medicine due to the timeframes that obtaining the corresponding approvals would entail. Its creators insist that it is one more protection against covid, but that it does not replace any of the safety and sanitary measures that must be taken to control the virus and prevent its transmission.

Initially, 1.5 million Chewing Mask chewing gums ---mint flavored--- will be distributed in stores and supermarkets in the Canary Islands, at an affordable price of about two euros, but they are already working for the product to be marketed throughout Spain, and do not rule out promoting its export.