New Findings Published In Circulation: Heart Failure Show Potential Utility Of Cardioxyl's HNO Donors As Novel Treatments For Heart Failure

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Oct. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the publication of recent findings on the role of a novel pure nitroxyl (HNO) donor in enhancing cardiac function and hemodynamics. These findings, based upon analysis of preclinical and human clinical data from studies of CXL-1020, were published online October 9, 2013, in Circulation: Heart Failure, which is published by the American Heart Association.

"Patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) present with a complex and often life-threatening clinical syndrome – and new therapeutic advances remain scant. These published data demonstrate the functional improvement in myocardial performance produced by a novel pure HNO donor, and show first-in-human evidence for the potential utility of an HNO donor in heart failure," said Wilson "Bill" S. Colucci, M.D., Thomas J. Ryan Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Cardiovascular Medicine Section at Boston University Medical Center, who served as Chairman of the Steering Committee for the CXL-1020 Phase 2a clinical study.

The data published in Circulation: Heart Failure summarize study findings from two preclinical models as well as a clinical study examining the hemodynamic effects and safety of CXL-1020 at doses of 1–20 mg/kg/min in patients with advanced heart failure hospitalized for invasive hemodynamic monitoring. Investigators reported human data demonstrating that CXL-1020, a novel pure HNO donor, enhanced cardiac systolic function while reducing pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) and arterial and venous tone without increasing heart rate. Consistent with the clinical data, direct contractile enhancement from CXL-1020 was observed in isolated myocytes as well as in vivo in experimental canine heart failure models. The investigators concluded that the combination of effects differentiates HNO donors from other classes of inotropes or ino-dilators, and provides a strong rationale for continuing studies to develop donors with optimized pharmacology for the treatment of congestive heart failure.

"Cardioxyl is excited about these results obtained with our first-generation HNO donor, and is poised to expand upon this data as we prepare to bring our second-generation HNO donor into the clinic next year," said Chris Kroeger, M.D., Cardioxyl's President and Chief Executive Officer.

The study is available online, via subscription, at http://circheartfailure.ahajournals.org/content/early/2013/10/09/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.113.000632

About Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals
Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals is focused on the discovery and development of new classes of safe and effective therapeutic agents for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Cardioxyl has developed industry-leading expertise in the chemistry, biology and clinical applications of nitroxyl (HNO) technology. The company's core HNO platform has generated several pre-clinical and clinical candidates. Cardioxyl is a privately held company financed by life science venture investors, including New Enterprise Associates, OrbiMed, Aurora Funds and Osage University Partners.

SOURCE Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, Inc.