Gail Lebovic, MD: the Nose is the Window to the Lungs

About 80% of all upper respiratory illnesses start in the nose, which is the window to the lungs, Gail Lebovic, MA, MD, said in an interview with HCPLive. As a surgeon, she shared that decontaminating the nose after surgery known known to improve post-op infection rates.

Lebovic is the founder of the Society of Oncoplastic Surgery, founder and CEO of Silicon Valley Innovations, and the inventor of NasoClenz, a novel intransal antispetic cleansing kit.

"Our team kind of specializes in identifying niches in clinical medicine that need problem solving and we see this as opening the door to a new market," Lebovic explained. "For nasal hygiene, we all know the products that are out there sprays, rinses, etc, for the sinuses, but no one has really addressed the anterior portion of the nose, the nostril where the skin and the hair inside is contaminated."

Data from a study that examined the efficacy of NasoClenz were presented by lead investigator Arman Kalamkarian, MD, AHK Primary and Preventive Medicine, at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) 2023 Annual Meeting. Results showed that 84% of participants reported a significant decrease in their allergy symptoms.

"Not only did they report a decrease in their nasal symptoms," she said, "but many of them have upper respiratory issues as well, like cough, and at least 70% or more of those patients also reported an improvement in their chronic cough."

However, patients with allergy or respiratory issues aren't the only population who might benefit from intranasal cleansing. The practice of oral hygiene has improved health issues from gum disease to cardiac disease, and Lebovic believes nasal hygiene can have a positive impact as well.

"I thought it'd be a great idea for our team to develop a comfortable, convenient way of cleaning the nose that could be used on a daily basis," she said. "It can be used when you're traveling, for allergy sufferers, for people who use CPAP–clearly there are patient populations who need it more than others–but truly, we wanted to develop a product that was good for everyone."