President Trump has been mocked relentlessly for suggesting that ultraviolet light could be brought “inside the body” to kill the coronavirus, but there is ongoing research to do just that.
For example, the pharmaceutical firm Aytu BioScience announced on April 20, four days before the Trump remarks, that it has signed an exclusive licensing deal with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The center has developed and is testing a UV-A “Healight” designed to be inserted via a catheter inside the trachea to kill pathogens, including the coronavirus.
Ultraviolet, or UV, light is commonly used by physicians to treat skin diseases. Cedars-Sinai says UV-A phototherapy potentially could be employed in internal organs.
Aytu BioScience said: “The Healight technology employs proprietary methods of administering intermittent ultraviolet (UV) A light via a novel endotracheal medical device. Pre-clinical findings indicate the technology’s significant impact on eradicating a wide range of viruses and bacteria, inclusive of coronavirus. The data have been the basis of discussions with the FDA for a near-term path to enable human use for the potential treatment of coronavirus in intubated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).”
At Thursday’s White House pandemic task force briefing, Mr. Trump talked of possible future therapies. On the dais, William Bryan, acting director of the Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology sector, briefed reporters on how UV light can kill surface viruses. Mr. Byran also spoke of experiments with bleach and isopropyl alcohol eliminating viruses in expelled saliva and respiratory fluids.
This prompted Mr. Trump to say, “I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or, or almost a cleaning?”
And then he turned to ultraviolet light.
“Question that probably some of you are thinking of if you’re totally into that world, which I find to be very interesting,” he said. “So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light. And I think you said that hasn’t been checked but you’re going to test it. And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you’re gonna test that, too.”
The president was roundly mocked for both suggestions, more so for disinfectant than for UV light.
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