Relief and NeuroRx Announce Partnership for Global Commercialization of RLF-100™ and Selection of Commercial Partners

GENEVA, Switzerland and RADNOR, Pa., Sept. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding SA (SIX: RLF, OTCQB: RLFTF) ("Relief" or the "Company") and NeuroRx, Inc. today announced the completion of their partnership agreement for the commercialization of RLF-100™(Aviptadil) worldwide. The two organizations have agreed to share all profits from sales of RLF-100 for all indications related to COVID-19 and potentially other respiratory indications on a global basis. They have agreed that NeuroRx will lead commercialization in the United States, Canada, and Israel, while Relief will lead commercialization in Europe and the rest of the world. Profits from sales will be allocated to Relief and NeuroRx on a 50/50 basis in the U.S., Canada and Israel, 85/15 (in favor of Relief) in Europe, and 80/20 (in favor of Relief) in all other territories.

The two companies have now taken steps to increase manufacturing of the aviptadil drug substance and are in the final stages of contracting with a fill/finish manufacturer, along with a national distribution partner. By January 2021, Relief and NeuroRx expect to have manufacturing, distribution and logistics capacity in place to deliver sufficient drug quantities to treat 150,000 patients per month with RLF-100. The companies continue to anticipate reporting top-line data from the ongoing randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of intravenously-administered RLF-100 before the end of 2020. The trial of inhalation-administered RLF-100 is slated to begin enrollment within the coming weeks.

As part of their agreement, Relief and NeuroRx intend to pursue the issuance of trademarks on RLF-100. NeuroRx shall prosecute such trademarks in the U.S., Canada and Israel, while Relief shall prosecute trademarks in all other territories.

Raghuram (Ram) Selvaraju, Chairman of the Board of Relief, said: "We are pleased to reach this agreement with NeuroRx, a partner we believe is best suited to ensure rapid clinical development as well as timely and expedient interaction with regulatory authorities in what is likely to be the most important market for the drug, the United States. We are looking forward to collaboratively and productively working together in order to maximize the value of the overall franchise for our shareholders and get this potentially life-saving drug to patients as swiftly as possible."

Jonathan C. Javitt, Chief Executive Officer of NeuroRx, added: "As the global pandemic continues to devastate families and communities, our small team is encouraged by the early promise we have seen in Sami Said's scientific legacy and we are working around the clock to bring this drug to patients."

About VIP in Lung Injury
Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP) was first discovered by the late Dr. Sami Said in 1970. Although first identified in the intestinal tract, VIP is now known to be produced throughout the body and to be primarily concentrated in the lungs. VIP has been shown in more than 100 peer-reviewed studies to have potent anti-inflammatory/anti-cytokine activity in animal models of respiratory distress, acute lung injury, and inflammation. Most importantly, 70% of the VIP in the body is bound to a rare cell in the lung, the alveolar type 2 cell, which is critical to the transmission of oxygen to the body.  VIP has a 20-year history of safe use in humans in multiple human trials for sarcoidosis, pulmonary fibrosis, asthma/allergy, and pulmonary hypertension.

COVID-19-related death is primarily caused by Respiratory Failure. Before this acute phase, however, there is evidence of early viral infection of the alveolar type 2 cells. These cells are known to have angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors at high levels, which serve as the route of entry for the SARS-CoV-2 into the cells. Coronaviruses are shown to replicate in alveolar type 2 cells, but not in the more numerous type 1 cells. These same type 2 alveolar cells have high concentrations of VIP receptors on their cell surfaces giving rise to the hypothesis that VIP could specifically protect these cells from injury.

Injury to the type 2 alveolar cells is an increasingly plausible mechanism of COVID-19 disease progression. (Mason 2020). These specialized cells replenish the more common type 1 cells that line the lungs. More importantly, type 2 cells manufacture surfactant that coats the lung and is essential for oxygen exchange. Other than RLF-100, no currently proposed treatments for COVID-19 specifically target these vulnerable type 2 cells.

About RLF-100
RLF-100 (Aviptadil) is a formulation of Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP) that was developed based on Dr. Said's original work at Stony Brook University, for which Stony Brook was awarded an FDA Orphan Drug Designation in 2001. VIP is known to be highly concentrated in the lungs, where it inhibits coronavirus replication, blocks the formation of inflammatory cytokines, prevents cell death, and upregulates the production of surfactant. FDA has now granted IND authorization for intravenous and inhaled delivery of RLF-100 for the treatment of COVID-19 and awarded Fast Track designation. RLF-100 is being investigated in two placebo-controlled US Phase 2b/3 clinical trials in respiratory deficiency due to COVID-19. Since July 2020, severe COVID-19 patients have been treated with RLF-100 under U.S. FDA Emergency Use Investigational New Drug (IND) authorization and Expanded Access Protocol authorization for the treatment of respiratory failure in COVID-19.

About RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding SA
Relief focuses primarily on clinical-stage programs based on molecules of natural origin (peptides and proteins) with a history of clinical testing and use in human patients or a strong scientific rationale. Currently, Relief is concentrating its efforts on developing new treatments for respiratory disease indications. Relief holds orphan drug designations from the U.S. FDA and the European Union for the use of VIP to treat ARDS, pulmonary hypertension, and sarcoidosis. Relief also holds a  patent issued in the U.S. and multiple other countries covering potential formulations of RLF-100.

RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding SA is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbol RLF and quoted in the U.S. on OTCQB under the symbol RLFTF.

About NeuroRx, Inc.
NeuroRx draws upon more than 100 years of collective drug development experience and is led by former senior executives of Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca, PPD. In addition to its work on RLF-100, NeuroRx has been awarded Breakthrough Therapy Designation and a Special Protocol Agreement to develop NRX-101 in suicidal bipolar depression and is currently in Phase 3 trials. Its executive team is led by Prof. Jonathan C. Javitt, MD, MPH, who has served as a health advisor to four Presidential administrations and worked on paradigm-changing drug development projects for Merck, Allergan, Pharmacia, Pfizer, Novartis, and Mannkind, together with Robert Besthof, MIM, who served as the Global Vice President (Commercial) for Pfizer's Neuroscience and Pain Division.  Its Board of Directors and Advisors includes Hon. Sherry Glied, former Assistant Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services; Mr. Chaim Hurvitz, former President of the Teva International Group, Lt. Gen. HR McMaster, the 23rd National Security Advisor, Wayne Pines, former Associate Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Judge Abraham Sofaer, and Daniel Troy, former Chief Counsel, U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Disclaimer: This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding SA, NeuroRx, Inc. and their businesses. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding SA and/or NeuroRx, Inc. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding SA is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Relief Therapeutics & NeuroRx