Listerine Says No Data Suggests its Mouthwash Fights Against COVID-19

Listerine disowned the recent claims that a new study suggests its mouthwash can kill off coronavirus within 30 seconds.

Cardiff University conducted a study–that has yet to be peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal– that claims the mouthwashes contain at least 0.07% of cetypryidinium chloride (CPC) and shows promising capabilities of combating the virus.

Scientists overseeing the study mimicked the conditions of a person’s nasal and oral passages and used brands like Listerine and Dentyl, WDRB reported.

However, Johnson & Johnson, which is Listerine’s manufacturer and distributor, stated that its mouthwash is not linked to coronavirus and therefore should not be used as a treatment.

Its Consumer Health division went on to say that Listerine is “an antimicrobial mouthwash that is clinically proven to kill germs that cause plaque, bad breath and the early gum disease, gingivitis,” and in a statement to FOX Business, added that the mouthwash “is not intended to prevent or treat COVID-19 and should be used only as directed on the product label.”

Sales of the mouthwash have also increased amid the pandemic.

The preliminary results of the study revealed that mouthwash may help fight off the virus in the saliva, however, there is no data or evidence of how it can have an impact on the respiratory tract or lungs, which are the main areas of COVID-19 infection. A clinical trial will take place at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff to study just how effective the mouthwash is with reducing coronavirus levels in the saliva, according to the BBC.

Periodontologist, Dr. Nick Claydon, told the BBC that he believed the research is “very valuable.”

“If these positive results are reflected in Cardiff University’s clinical trial, CPC-based mouthwashes … could become an important addition to people’s routine, together with hand washing, physical distancing, and wearing masks, both now and in the future,” Dr. Claydon told the BBC.