Exhibit 99.1
electroCore Provides Update onCOVID-19 Clinical Initiatives
Randomized controlled investigator-initiated trial (IIT) ofnon-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS)
therapy currently enrollingCOVID-19 patients in Spain
Peer-reviewed paper, “Use ofNon-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Treat Respiratory Symptoms
Associated withCOVID-19: A Theoretical Hypothesis and Early Clinical Experience,” accepted for
publication in the journal Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., April 27, 2020— electroCore, Inc. (Nasdaq: ECOR), a commercial-stage bioelectronic medicine company, today provided an update on ongoing nVNSCOVID-19 initiatives.
The company announced today that an investigator-initiated, randomized, controlled clinical trial of nVNS therapy has commenced enrollingCOVID-19 patients in Spain. The trial, “Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Study to Evaluate the Effect ofNon-Invasive Electrical Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Respiratory Symptoms due toCoViD-19 (SAVIOR),” is designed to assess the ability of nVNS to decrease the number of hospitalizedCOVID-19 patients requiring use of a ventilator. In the treatment group, nVNS will be provided in addition to the current standard of care. nVNS will be used prophylactically, three times a day, as well as acutely when needed by patients, with the goal of improving breathing and decreasing the need for mechanical ventilation. The control group will consist of patients matched to the stimulation group in terms of severity and will be treated with standard of care alone. The trial is being led by Dr. Carlos Tornero, M.D., Head of the Anesthesiology-Resuscitation Department, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia.
Multiple US institutions have expressed interest in conducting additional controlled clinical studies of nVNS’ potential utility in treatingCOVID-19 patients. A second investigator-initiated randomized, controlled trial protocol(SAVIOR-2) was recently approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at one U.S. institution and should commence soon. Additional U.S. investigator-initiated trials are under consideration.
“COVID 19 is causing a worldwide pandemic, the likes of which we have not seen before. Worldwide data indicate that COVID 19 causes a lethal cytokine storm in a small percentage of people who contract the virus, so strategies directed at blocking cytokine release hold promise,” commented Peter S. Staats, MD, Chief Medical Officer of electroCore.“Pre-clinical work and early pilot studies in respiratory indications such as asthma and bronchoconstriction, the ability of nVNS to block cytokine release, and literature demonstrating that VNS blocks the cytokine storm in animals, all support the hypothesis that nVNS may improve outcomes in patients withCOVID-19.”
Dr. Staats continued, “We applaud Dr. Tornero for initiating the first controlled clinical trial of nVNS therapy inCOVID-19 patients, and we look forward to results from important research.”
The company also announced today that a paper, entitled, “Use ofNon-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Treat Respiratory Symptoms Associated withCOVID-19: A Theoretical Hypothesis and Early Clinical Experience,” has gone through peer review and been accepted for publication by the highly-regarded journalNeuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface. The paper will be made available via open access when published online in the near future.
About electroCore, Inc.
electroCore, Inc. is a commercial-stage bioelectronic medicine company dedicated to improving patient outcomes through its platformnon-invasive vagus nerve stimulation therapy initially focused on the treatment of multiple conditions in neurology. The company’s initial targets are the preventative treatment of cluster headache and migraine and acute treatment of migraine and episodic cluster headache.
For more information, visitwww.electrocore.com.
About gammaCoreeTM
gammaCoreTM (nVNS) is the firstnon-invasive, hand-held medical therapy applied at the neck as an adjunctive therapy to treat migraine and cluster headache through the utilization of a mild electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve that passes through the skin. Designed as a portable,easy-to-use technology, gammaCore can be self-administered by patients, as needed, without the potential side effects associated with commonly prescribed drugs. When placed on a patient’s neck over the vagus nerve, gammaCore stimulates the nerve’s afferent fibers, which may lead to a reduction of pain in patients.
