Aerpio and Quantum Leap Announce First Patients Dosed with Razuprotafib in the I-SPY COVID Trial to Treat ARDS in Critically-ill COVID-19 Patients

SAN FRANCISCO and CINCINNATI, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Aerpio") (Nasdaq: ARPO) and Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative (Quantum Leap) announced today dosing of the first patient with razuprotafib in the I-SPY COVID Trial (NCT04488081), a phase 2 platform trial aimed at improving treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in severely ill COVID-19 (adult) patients. Further details about the study can be found here.

“Finding an effective therapeutic agent to treat patients who get critically ill in response to the COVID 19 infection is of utmost importance regardless of whether we have a vaccine,” said Laura Esserman , the founder of the I-SPY programs. “Our group is focused on screening promising agents and quickly identifying therapies that work. Razuprotafib was selected because of its potential to reverse the lung damage by activating Tie2 and stabilizing the leaky blood vessels that cause some of the damage. This has the potential to prevent death and improve time to recovery, which is what we need for this pandemic and any other that comes along in the future.”

“We are extremely pleased by the rapid progress in study site selection and patient screening in this trial,” said Joseph Gardner, President and Founder. “We believe that razuprotafib has the potential to benefit critically ill COVID-19 patients, and hope to provide additional updates on progress before the end of the year.”

The I-SPY COVID TRIAL, is an adaptive platform trial sponsored by Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative. The goal of the trial is to rapidly screen, in parallel, multiple promising agents in order to identify drugs that will have a high impact on reducing mortality, and avoid or reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation for  critically-ill COVID-19 patients. This study arm will evaluate razuprotafib's potential to sufficiently stabilize the pulmonary vasculature, in order to slow or prevent the progression of COVID-19 associated pulmonary pathology, decrease the need for ventilator support, and reduce mortality. 

About Aerpio Pharmaceuticals

Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing compounds that activate Tie2 to treat ocular diseases and diabetic complications, as well as other indications in which the Company believes that activation of Tie2 may have therapeutic potential, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (“ARDS”) associated with COVID-19 infections. Recently published mouse and human genetic data implicate the Angpt/Tie2 pathway in maintenance of Schlemm’s canal, a critical component of the conventional outflow tract. The Company’s lead compound, razuprotafib (formerly AKB-9778), a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase (“VE-PTP”), is being developed as a potential treatment for open angle glaucoma, and the Company intends to investigate the therapeutic potential of razuprotafib in other indications.. The Company is also evaluating development options for ARP-1536, a humanized monoclonal antibody, for its therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetic vascular complications including nephropathy and diabetic macular edema (“DME”). The Company’s third asset is a bispecific antibody that binds both VEGF and VE-PTP which is designed to inhibit VEGF activation and activate Tie2. This bispecific antibody has the potential to be an improved treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration and DME via intravitreal injection. Finally, the Company has exclusively out-licensed AKB-4924 (now called GB004), a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF). GB004 is being developed by AKB-4924’s exclusive licensor, Gossamer Bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: GOSS). For more information, please visit www.aerpio.com.