• Expanded access protocol, including for pregnant women, is becoming available to patients who are ineligible for enrollment in the FDA clinical trial of RLF-100,
• RLF-100, a patented formulation of Aviptadil, is currently in development by NeuroRx and RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG under Fast Track Designation, and recently obtained positive safety opinion from the data monitoring committee.

Geneva and Radnor, PA, July 29, 2020 – RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG (SIX:RLF, OTC:RLFTF) “Relief” and its U.S. partner, NeuroRx, Inc. today announced that FDA has granted an Expanded Access Protocol for treatment of Respiratory Failure in COVID-19 with RLF-100 (aviptadil), a synthetic form of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP). The protocol makes treatment available to patients who have exhausted standard therapies and are not eligible for the current phase 2/3 trial of RLF-100 because of confounding medical conditions and specifically makes the treatment available to pregnant women. Although the drug remains under investigation, rapid recovery from respiratory failure in COVID-19 has been seen in patients treated under FDA Emergency Use authorization.[1]

The expanded access protocol may be viewed on www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT04453839. Physicians who wish to enroll their patients in the protocol must submit the protocol to their local investigational review board and file FDA form 1572 with NeuroRx, Inc.  Further information may be obtained from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

“By granting this Expanded Access protocol, FDA has made a potentially lifesaving drug immediately available to critically ill patients who have no other available treatment,” said Dr. Jonathan C. Javitt, MD, MPH, NeuroRx’s CEO.  “We thank the FDA’s pulmonary division for its rapid and proactive implementation of the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program, and we aspire to demonstrate broad safety and efficacy for RLF-100 in our ongoing clinical trial.”

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19 attacks the body by entering the small population of Alveolar Type II cells in the lung.[2]  Without Type II cells, the lung cannot transmit oxygen, which why the coronavirus causes acute respiratory failure. 50 years of scientific research demonstrates that VIP binds specifically to the Type II cell and protects that cell against cytokines (inflammatory molecules) and a wide array of toxic and infectious injuries.”[3]

About RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG

The Relief group of companies focus primarily on clinical-stage projects based on molecules of natural origin (peptides and proteins) with a history of clinical testing and use in human patients or a strong scientific rational. Currently, Relief is concentrating its efforts on developing new treatments for respiratory disease indications.

Relief Therapeutics holds orphan drug designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union for the use of VIP to treat ARDS, pulmonary hypertension, and sarcoidosis.  Relief Therapeutics also holds a U.S. patent[4] for RLF-100 and proprietary manufacturing processes for its synthesis.

RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbol RLF (ISIN: CH0100191136).

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 for the treatment of suicidal bipolar depression and is currently in Phase 3 trials.