Oxycyte PFCE decreases mortality after onset of decompression sickness in porcine model study

Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:OXBT) today announced that results from U.S. Navy studies demonstrated decreased mortality in porcine animal models that were given an intravenous dose of Oxycyte® perfluorocarbon emulsion (PFCE) after the onset of decompression sickness (DCS). These results showed a statistically significant decrease in mortality compared with the control group that did not receive Oxycyte PFCE. This data was published in the June issue of Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine. The authors of the paper are Drs. Richard T. Mahon, Tomas T. Watanabe and Charles R. Auker and Madison C. Wilson, all of the Undersea Medicine Department at the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center. Their work was funded by the Office of Naval Research.

Of the 54 swine studied, 25 received Oxycyte PFCE and 29 received normal saline solution. For the animals treated with Oxycyte PFCE, 72 percent survived versus 45 percent in the control group (p<0.05); similarly, survival at 24 hours was significantly greater in the group treated with Oxycyte PFCE than in the control group (p<0.05). Functional recovery as assessed by the Tarlov scale was better at 24 hours in the Oxycyte group, with 52 percent of animals scoring >3 versus 28 percent in the control group.

"Dr. Mahon's study is an important advancement in developing new therapies to treat sailors suffering from DCS," said Chris Stern, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Oxygen Biotherapeutics, developer and manufacturer of Oxycyte PFCE. "We believe the results provide additional data that the oxygen delivery, gas eliminating and surfactant properties of our product make it an ideal candidate to be developed as a DCS therapeutic agent."