Antiviral composition and method of use

A method of reducing the risk of acquiring a rhinovirus infection in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering to the subject a pharmaceutical composition comprising, as the sole active antiviral ingredient, an iota-carrageenan homopolymer and/or heteropolymer in an antiviral effective amount,

• wherein the administration is carried out topically by application to either of, or to both of, the skin and nasal mucosa, and
• wherein the subject is an individual being at high-risk of developing into a patient selected from the group consisting of a person suffering from allergy, and a person suffering from an inflammatory disease.

A method of reducing the risk of acquiring a rhinovirus infection in a subject that suffers from at least one disease selected from the group consisting of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, allergy, and inflammatory disease, the method comprising administering to the subject a pharmaceutical composition comprising, as the sole active antiviral ingredient, an iota-carrageenan homopolymer and/or heteropolymer in an antiviral effective amount, wherein

• the administration is carried out either systemically by oral ingestion, or topically by application to the skin and/or to the oral and/or nasal mucosa, or the administration is carried out both systemically by oral ingestion and topically by application to the skin and/or to the oral and/or nasal mucosa.