NRx Pharmaceuticals Stock Rises After Trial Results of Aviptadil for the Treatment of Respiratory Failure in Patients with Critical COVID-19
Oct 14, 2021 By MarketDepth
NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: NRXP) stock jumps about 37% Thursday after the clinical-stage small molecule pharmaceutical company announced the publication of peer-reviewed results from a prospective, open-label, administratively controlled trial of aviptadil for the treatment of respiratory failure in patients with Critical COVID-19. The study reported 60-day survival in 81% of those treated with aviptadil, compared to 21% survival among those who received standard of care treatment at the Houston Methodist Hospital (P<.0001). A similar 9-fold advantage was seen in the cumulative probability of recovery from respiratory failure (P<.0001). The study appears in the Journal of Infectious Diseases and Treatment.
“We view this study as supportive evidence that aviptadil protects the lung against the lethal effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.”
Jihad Georges Youssef, M.D., Lead Author of the study
Patients enrolled in this study were at the highest possible risk for death based on serious comorbidities that rendered them ineligible for participation in the phase 2b/3 pivotal study of aviptadil for the treatment of COVID-19 with respiratory failure. In addition, patients in the study failed to respond to all treatments approved for COVID-19 during the first surge of the pandemic in the summer of 2020.
“Although randomized, placebo-controlled trials are the gold standard for medical evidence, the findings in this open-label study are remarkably similar to those seen at tertiary care medical centers in the phase 2b/3 trial of aviptadil vs. placebo. Therefore, we view this study as supportive evidence that aviptadil protects the lung against the lethal effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The patients enrolled in this trial had no therapeutic alternatives and 80% of those treated with standard of care died within 60 days of hospital admission. The corresponding improvement in RDR and cytokine levels add biologic plausibility to the findings. We believe these add important perspective to the potential for aviptadil to help some of the sickest patients with Critical COVID-19 recover and return home to their families.”
Jihad Georges Youssef, M.D., Medical Director of Advanced Lung Diseases Program at Houston Methodist J. C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center and lead author on the study
