Tucson, AZ – 11/06/2025 – NuvOx Therapeutics, Inc. (“NuvOx”) Announces Positive Results from First Cohort of EXTEND-1b Trial of NanO₂™ in Patients with Respiratory Distress
NuvOx Therapeutics (“NuvOx”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing oxygen therapeutics to treat life-threatening hypoxemic conditions, announced encouraging initial safety and oxygenation data from the first cohort of the ongoing EXTEND-1b Phase Ib clinical trial of NanO₂™ (dodecafluoropentane emulsion) in patients with mild respiratory distress. Such results will be presented as a scientific poster at the Critical Care Canada Forum in December 2025.
The EXTEND-1b study is a dose-escalation trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacodynamic effects of intravenous NanO₂ in hospitalized patients requiring ≤ 6 L/min of oxygen by nasal cannula. Following an initial loading dose, participants receive a 21-hour continuous infusion of NanO₂ at one of 3 escalating doses (0.025 → 0.032 → 0.050 mL/kg every 90 minutes for a total of 15 doses). The trial, allowed by Health Canada, will enroll 18 subjects across the three cohorts. The study’s primary objective is safety and to identify a recommended dose for the Phase II study that is planned to follow.
“These early findings are an important milestone for our oxygen-delivery platform,” said Evan Unger, MD, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of NuvOx. “NanO₂ represents the first low-boiling-point perfluorocarbon emulsion capable of carrying a clinically meaningful oxygen payload at a fraction of the dose previously required. It also appears to prevent the increase and accumulation of carbon dioxide in the lung tissue. The positive safety profile and evidence of increased beneficial blood gas exchange validate our approach and provide a strong foundation for continued dose escalation.”