Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announces a Second Clinical Trial with Funding from MTEC to Evaluate Razuprotafib for the Prevention and Treatment of ARDS in Patients with Moderate to Severe COVID-19

CINCINNATI, Aug. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Aerpio”) (Nasdaq: ARPO) and The U.S. Government operating through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) announced today that an agreement has been reached to evaluate razuprotafib in a new randomized, investigational trial for the prevention and treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) in adult patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 as part of MTEC-20-09-COVID-19 Treatment Military Infectious Disease Research Program (MIDRP) “Development of Treatments for COVID-19.”  MTEC will provide up to $5.1 million in funding toward the clinical trial.  Aerpio will support the trial with “in kind” spending in the amount of $2.8 million. MTEC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization constructed by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC). The Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC) was established as an enterprise partnership including industry and academia to facilitate research and development activities. Protecting U.S. forces from COVID-19 is a key priority for the U.S. military. The partnership between Aerpio and MTEC will provide resources to support a second COVID-19 Phase 2 clinical trial with razuprotafib, a drug candidate being investigated for its potential to prevent and treat the severe respiratory distress observed in COVID-19 patients.

Aerpio Pharmaceuticals is developing a potent and selective small molecule inhibitor of vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP), razuprotafib (AKB-9778), that restores Tie2 pathway activation in endothelial cells to stabilize blood vessels during vascular injury and inflammation. Emerging data indicate that SARS-Cov2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may attack vascular endothelium and destabilize blood vessels in multiple organs including the lung, kidneys and heart leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. Based on these findings, Aerpio and a distinguished team of clinical investigators have developed a plan to investigate the therapeutic potential of subcutaneous razuprotafib for the prevention and treatment of ARDS in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19.