RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. Announces Data for CX1739 Clinical Study in Opioid Induced Respiratory Depression

GLEN ROCK, NJ--(Marketwired - Dec 15, 2016) - RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCQB: RSPI) ("RespireRx" or the "Company"), a leader in the development of medicines for respiratory disorders, including sleep apneas and drug-induced respiratory depression announces data for its CX1739 clinical study in opioid induced respiratory depression.

Comments by the Executive Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer

Arnold Lippa, Ph.D., Executive Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer commented, "We are pleased with the positive results of our recent Phase 2A study which encourages us to take CX1739 forward in additional studies. We look forward to conducting additional studies investigating the effects of CX1739 on opioid induced respiratory depression in post-surgical patients self-administering opioids in a hospital setting as well as on central sleep apnea in out-patients taking oral opioids chronically for pain management."

Background

Opioid analgesics are now the most commonly prescribed class of medicines in the United States, where chronic pain is estimated to affect around 68 million people each year. In 2014 alone, U.S. retail pharmacies dispensed 245 million prescriptions for opioid pain relievers. Opioids are useful and effective analgesics but produce several unwanted side effects, including episodes of potentially life-threatening respiratory depression, which resulted in over 30,000 deaths in 2014. While some of these deaths are from abuse of opioids, a large number are accidental deaths by patients who require opioids for pain management, in both an acute and chronic setting.

The respiratory depression produced by opioids is most sensitively detected during sleep and is manifested as apnea/hypopnea or central sleep apnea (CSA). Opioid induced sleep apneas are observed with intravenous opioid infusions in a post-surgical hospital setting, where approximately 2 - 4% of the 51 million U.S. patients undergoing in-hospital surgery present with opioid induced CSA. Furthermore, patients chronically taking oral opioids for pain relief also present with CSA. In fact, approximately 40 - 50% of patients diagnosed with CSA are taking chronic, oral opioids. Overall, sleep apnea is the major risk factor for mortality and morbidity in opioid overdose. Clearly, preventing or reducing the respiratory depressive effects of opioids will save lives.