30 June 2020 - - US-based biotechnology company NuvOx Pharma, which is developing NanO2 emulsion for oxygen delivery, has received a "No Objection Letter" from Health Canada to proceed with a Phase IIa clinical trial of NanO2 in COVID-19 subjects with acute hypoxic respiratory failure, the company said.

Some patients with AHRF can progress to a more severe form of the disease called acute respiratory distress syndrome.

ARDS, which is associated with lung inflammation leading to low blood oxygenation, is the major cause of death in COVID-19 patients.

The trial will determine if NanO2 improves clinical outcomes in COVID-19 subjects with acute hypoxic respiratory failure. NanO2 has the potential to transform the care of COVID-19 patients who present with low oxygen saturation.