CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: DFFN) (“Diffusion” or “the Company”), a cutting-edge biotechnology company developing new treatments for life-threatening medical conditions by improving the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to the areas where it is needed most, today reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and provided a business update.
Highlights from the first quarter of 2020 and recent weeks include:Notified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of accelerated review for the Company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to study trans sodium crocetinate (TSC) in COVID-19 related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and multiple organ failure. The program is a cooperative research effort with University of Virginia Health (UVA) and the Integrated Translational Research Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV). Development of ARDS is common in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 due to lack of sufficient oxygen to vital organs as a consequence of impedance in the lungs. Diffusion believes that TSC’s novel oxygen-enhancing mechanism of action could provide an important new treatment option for this life-threatening condition.  The three-part program will focus on enhanced blood oxygenation in patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) and on reduction in patient progression to the ICU.
 Following commencement of enrollment during the fourth quarter of 2019 in its Phase 2 on-ambulance clinical trial testing TSC for the treatment of acute stroke, enrollment in the study was delayed as the LA County Fire Department suspended future training of first responders who had been scheduled to participate in the trial protocol, in order to focus on COVID-19 patients.  This 160-patient trial, named PHAST-TSC (Pre-Hospital Administration of Stroke Therapy-TSC), will involve 23 hospitals across urban, suburban and rural areas in Los Angeles County and Central Virginia.
 
Bay Street News