This Flu Season, Vaccines and Medicines Alone Are Not Enough
How NoriZite® nasal spray – a “liquid mask” for your nose – helps fill the missing protection gap
December 2025 | Birmingham Biotech (BHM)
Illustration: NoriZite® nasal spray forming a mucoadhesive “liquid mask” layer along the nasal mucosa.
Many families have had a similar experience this winter:
- You get your flu shot, but still “come down with it” – high fever, cough, muscle aches.
- In nurseries and schools, waves of cross-infection keep rolling through.
- Flu, mycoplasma, COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses are circulating at the same time – and no one can wear a face mask perfectly all day.
Doctors keep repeating the same message:
“Vaccines are essential, medicines are important – but no single measure can guarantee 100% protection from infection.”
This doesn’t mean vaccines “don’t work”, and it doesn’t mean medicines are “ineffective”. It simply reflects a fact: there are very real gaps in the overall protection chain.
NoriZite® nasal spray by Birmingham Biotech (BHM) was developed to help address one of these gaps – as a “liquid mask” for the nose, right where respiratory viruses first try to enter.
Three common “protection gaps”
1. Time gap – before the vaccine takes full effect
After a flu shot, it usually takes 2–4 weeks to build up enough antibodies. Many people only decide to vaccinate when “everyone around is already getting sick”, so part of this window overlaps with the peak season. In older adults or people with chronic conditions, the immune response may also be weaker and wane faster.
2. Population gap – not everyone is fully protected
Vaccination coverage in the community is still far from ideal. Some people delay, some skip altogether, and even among those vaccinated, protection can be reduced by viral mutation and time. Vaccines are excellent at reducing severe disease and death, but they cannot guarantee that no one gets infected.
3. Scenario gap – high-risk moments without masks or medicines
No one can wear a mask 24/7. We take it off for meals, sports, social events and time at home with our children. Many infections also happen when people have no symptoms or only very mild symptoms, so they do not yet think about taking any medicine.
Every day, these moments add up to a large front-end exposure gap:
right at the nasal mucosa – the first point of contact between virus and body – we often have no sustained local protection.
This is exactly where the “liquid mask” concept behind NoriZite® nasal spray is designed to act.
Why start with the nose? NoriZite® as a “liquid mask” barrier
During COVID-19, we all saw the effect of non-pharmaceutical measures: when mask-wearing and distancing were taken seriously, flu and other respiratory infections dropped sharply; when these measures relaxed, they came back.
This shows a simple truth: for respiratory infections, physical protection is not optional. It stands beside vaccines and medicines as a main defensive line.
If we picture the body as a city:
- Vaccines train soldiers inside the city, so if a battle starts, the damage is less.
- Antiviral medicines act like special forces sent to clear enemies after they get in.
- The nasal mucosa is the city gate.
NoriZite® nasal spray is designed as an extra invisible shield at that gate – a “liquid mask” for your nose. It does not replace vaccines or medicines, but helps reduce the amount of virus that can reach the nasal surface in the first place.
What makes NoriZite® different from other nasal sprays?
Many nasal sprays talk about “protection”, but they work in very different ways.
Nitric oxide sprays – short bursts, not long-wear
Some products rely on chemical reactions in the nose that release nitric oxide (NO) for a short period of time. In the lab, NO can inactivate certain viruses, but in real-world use the effect is time-limited and protocol-dependent. They behave more like topical antiviral tools for specific situations than like an everyday “liquid mask”.
Simple carrageenan sprays – sticky, but poorly structured
Single-polymer carrageenan solutions are a bit stickier than saline and can provide some physical barrier effect. But as a uniform liquid they:
- struggle to form a stable 3D structure, and
- can flow away with nasal secretions, leaving uneven coverage and limited residence time.
They are better than plain saline, but still not a truly structured “liquid mask”.
NoriZite® “liquid-to-gel” technology – a soft 3D barrier net
NoriZite® nasal spray was developed by BHM together with the University of Birmingham. It uses a dual-polymer, structured fluid-gel system:
- When sprayed, it behaves like a fine, water-like mist that can reach both the front and deeper parts of the nasal cavity.
- Once it contacts the mucosa, the two polysaccharides quickly form a three-dimensional soft gel network – a mucoadhesive “safety net” that coats the nasal surface.
In laboratory and pre-clinical models, this soft barrier has shown:
- broader coverage, reducing “sprayed but not really coated” blind spots,
- longer residence time, covering typical high-risk periods such as a commute or school class,
- strong physical trapping of multiple respiratory viruses and particles.
From day one, NoriZite® was formulated to be:
- based on natural polysaccharides (no steroids, no antibiotics, no antiviral drugs, no antibodies),
- registered and sold as a medical device in several countries,
- suitable for repeated, long-term use by both adults and children during flu and multi-virus seasons.
How does NoriZite® fit into a realistic protection strategy?
NoriZite® nasal spray:
- does not enter the bloodstream,
- does not modify the immune system,
- does not replace vaccines or any prescribed medicines.
Its role is specific: to help fill the local physical barrier gap at the nasal mucosa.
You can think of the full strategy like this:
- Vaccines build the foundation.
- Medicines provide the firefighting when illness occurs.
- Masks and ventilation protect the outer environment.
- NoriZite® nasal spray adds a structured “liquid mask” layer right at the nasal gate.
Used together, they create a more realistic and sustainable combination of defences.
Everyday situations where NoriZite® may be especially useful
NoriZite® nasal spray can be used as a practical habit in situations such as:
- before going to work or school,
- before visiting a hospital or clinic,
- before boarding a train, plane or other crowded transport,
- before entering busy indoor spaces with poor ventilation.
Simply use NoriZite® nasal spray according to the Instructions for Use – as natural as putting on a mask when you head out.
Important clarifications
- NoriZite® nasal spray is not a vaccine and not a medicine. It does not replace vaccination programmes or antiviral treatments prescribed by doctors.
- NoriZite® works through physical protection. It forms a soft, mucoadhesive gel layer in the nose that helps trap a proportion of viruses and particles.
- If you develop significant symptoms (such as high fever, breathing difficulty or chest tightness), you should seek prompt medical advice and follow the guidance of healthcare professionals.