Exhibit 99.1
Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Quantum Leap
Healthcare Collaborative Announce the Selection of
Razuprotafib for Evaluation in theI-SPY COVID
Trial for the Treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome inCOVID-19 Patients
SAN FRANCISCO, CINCINNATI, DATE (May 27, 2020) – Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Aerpio”) (Nasdaq: ARPO) and Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative™ (Quantum Leap) announced today an agreement has been reached to evaluate razuprotafib in a new randomized, investigational treatment arm in theI-SPY COVID Trial for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in adult patients with moderate to severeCOVID-19.
Approximately10-15% of those infected with the highly contagious SARS-CoV2 virus, the cause ofCOVID-19, develop ARDS with a death rate in the2-10% range. Nearly 70% ofCOVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU require ventilation for a mean of 14 days, and over 50% will not survive. The unprecedented rate ofSARS-CoV-2(COVID-19) infection, over 5.6 million world-wide, has already led to more than 350,000 deaths.
The goal of this theI-SPY COVID Trial is to rapidly screen multiple promising agents, in the setting of an adaptive platform trial, for the treatment of critically illCOVID-19 patients to identify agents that will have a high impact on reducing mortality, and the need for as well as duration of, mechanical ventilation.
Preclinical models, large human observational studies, and human genetic studies from leading groups worldwide have independently arrived at the concept that a vascular endothelial receptor, Tie2, may play a pivotal role in the defense against microvascular breach in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)1-4. We hypothesize that razuprotafib, being developed as afirst-in-class Tie2 activating compound, will exhibit an acceptable safety profile and show efficacy for the treatment ofCOVID-19 associated ARDS as a potentially life-saving therapeutic for patients suffering from the devastating respiratory effects ofCOVID-19.
This study arm will evaluate razuprotafib’s potential to sufficiently stabilize the pulmonary vasculature, in order to slow or prevent the progression ofCOVID-19 associated pulmonary pathology, decrease the need for ventilator support, and reduce mortality.
“TheI-SPY COVID Trial is designed to rapidly identify and test agents with the potential to provide substantial benefit to patients suffering with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) fromCOVID-19, a condition where effective agents are lacking. We are delighted that Aerpio has agreed to