The technology, identified at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, shows that nitrite, which is converted by the body into nitric oxide, can be delivered as an effective treatment for pulmonary hypertension, myocardial infarction, transplantation and cerebral vasospasm.
Aires Pharmaceuticals is developing Aironite, a proprietary, inhalable formulation of nitrite, to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. The company has orphan drug status from the FDA and has completed its first Phase I clinical trial for this indication.
Wendy Johnson, president and CEO of Aires Pharmaceuticals, said: “We are pleased to have concluded this important agreement. We are aggressively gearing up to evaluate our product in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.”