Inhaled Ampion Advances to Second Group of COVID-19 Patients with Respiratory Distress

Ampio Pharmaceuticals announced the second group in the Phase I inhaled Ampion™ clinical study is being treated following clearance by the Safety Monitoring Committee (SMC) who found Ampion to be safe and well-tolerated after reviewing the results from the first treatment group.

"Ampion will be administered to patients by inhalation, allowing the drug to directly target and attenuate inflammation in the lungs, using a hand-held nebulizer for COVID-19 patients early in the disease and non-invasive ventilation (face mask) and mechanical ventilation (intubation) if their disease state is more severe,” Michael Macaluso, Ampio's, President and CEO, clarified specific features of this clinical trial. “This US study will enroll 40 patients, randomized 1 to 1, inhaled Ampion versus Standard of Care (SOC), with each patient inhaling 8 mL doses of Ampion four (4) times a day for five (5) days. Safety is the primary end point and various measurements indicative of efficacy are secondary endpoints. Each of the first three patient groups receiving inhaled Ampion will be assessed by the SMC for an additional three days after the 5 day treatment period (as inhalation is a new method of administration of Ampion cleared for clinical use by the FDA) and if no safety concerns arise, open enrollment at the speed of recruitment will follow the remainder of the 40 patients."