electroCore Announces Top Line Results from SAVIOR-1 study of Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation (nVNS) in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

ROCKAWAY, NJ, April 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- electroCore, Inc. (Nasdaq: ECOR), a commercial-stage bioelectronic medicine company, today announced the top-line results from the SAVIOR-1 study, a prospective, randomized, controlled study evaluating non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) using gammaCore Sapphire in patients admitted to the hospital for treatment of COVID-19 between April 2020 and February 2021. This study was an investigator-initiated trial conducted at the Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, Spain.

The SAVIOR-1 study enrolled 110 patients over 18 years of age. A total of 97 patients (47 treatment subjects and 50 control subjects) provided baseline demographic and medical history data. The study was designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of nVNS in addition to the current standard of care in patients hospitalized with active SARS-CoV-2 infection. This pilot study also assessed the incidence of relevant clinical events and changes in blood chemistry between the group treated with nVNS in addition to the standard of care at the time of admission, compared with standard of care alone.

The patients’ clinical and biochemical endpoints were measured over their first five days of therapy and the adjusted means were compared. It was noted that the post-randomized assessment of severity of condition resulted in a 3.5 to 1 bias with more severe patients in the treatment arm.  With respect to the clinical endpoint of oxygen saturation, the nVNS treated group showed a modest, but not significant improvement. Among the biomarkers evaluated, the adjusted mean decrease in C-Reactive Protein (CRP) from baseline was significantly greater in the nVNS treated group (-59.08 vs. -27.83; p<0.01). Trends toward significance were also observed for decreases in the treatment group for procalcitonin (-0.11 vs. -0.05; p= 0.07) and d-dimer (-277.53 vs. 1264.37; p=0.08). Increased levels of CRP, procalcitonin and d-dimer have all been reported to be associated with more severe disease. The lower levels of these markers in the nVNS treated group may represent the initial impact of nVNS therapy to potentially improve the course of a patients’ COVID-19 symptoms. Other biochemical measures also favored the treatment group but did not achieve significance.

nVNS was well tolerated with no major device related adverse events and the therapy was administered three times daily on the majority of patients as outlined in the study protocol. Full data from the study, including cytokine levels which are pending final lab results, will be submitted to a peer reviewed journal later this year.

The principal investigator of the study, Dr. Carlos Tornero, Head of the Department of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Pain Therapeutics of the Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, Spain, commented, "We are very pleased to have successfully completed the SAVIOR-1 study despite the challenges of executing a trial of a novel neuromodulation treatment during  a pandemic, and the rapidly changing standard of care in COVID-19 patients. These top line results suggest that nVNS may contribute to our efforts in combating the on-going disease process through a more rapid recovery in some of the biomarkers that are typically associated with a more severe prognosis.”

"The ability of nVNS to potentially affect the progression of COVID-19 in these hospitalized patients is encouraging.” said Dr. Peter Staats, Chief Medical Officer of electroCore. “As the pandemic evolves, we believe that nVNS could be a viable treatment for patients to possibly help decrease their symptoms early in the disease. Although a minority of the subjects in the study were classified as severe, the randomization process apportioned more than 75% of the severe population into the treatment arm, which may have impacted the top line results.”

About electroCore, Inc.

electroCore, Inc. is a commercial-stage bioelectronic medicine company dedicated to improving patient outcomes through its non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation therapy platform, initially focused on the treatment of multiple conditions in neurology. The company's current indications are the preventive treatment of cluster headache and migraine and the acute treatment of migraine and episodic cluster headache.

For more information, visit www.electrocore.com.

About gammaCoreTM
gammaCore^TM (nVNS) is the first non-invasive, hand-held medical therapy applied at the neck as an adjunctive therapy to treat migraine and cluster headache through the utilization of a mild electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve that passes through the skin. Designed as a portable, easy-to-use technology, gammaCore can be self-administered by patients, as needed, without the potential side effects associated with commonly prescribed drugs. When placed on a patient’s neck over the vagus nerve, gammaCore stimulates the nerve’s afferent fibers, which may lead to a reduction of pain in patients.

gammaCore is FDA cleared in the United States for adjunctive use for the preventive treatment of cluster headache in adult patients, the acute treatment of pain associated with episodic cluster headache in adult patients, and the acute and preventive treatment of migraine in adolescent (ages 12 and older) and adult patients. gammaCore is CE-marked in the European Union for the acute and/or prophylactic treatment of primary headache (Migraine, Cluster Headache, Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias and Hemicrania Continua) and Medication Overuse Headache in adults.

• gammaCore is contraindicated for patients with:
  • An active implantable medical device, such as a pacemaker, hearing aid implant, or any implanted electronic device
  • A metallic device, such as a stent, bone plate, or bone screw, implanted at or near the neck
  • An open wound, rash, infection, swelling, cut, sore, drug patch, or surgical scar(s) on the neck at the treatment location
• Safety and efficacy of gammaCore have not been evaluated in the following patients:
  • Patients diagnosed with narrowing of the arteries (carotid atherosclerosis)
  • Patients who have had surgery to cut the vagus nerve in the neck (cervical vagotomy)
  • Pediatric
  • Patients (younger than 12 years)
  • Pregnant women
  • Patients with clinically significant hypertension, hypotension, bradycardia, or tachycardia

The U.S. FDA has cleared the gammaCore Sapphire CV device under an emergency use authorization for acute use at home or in a healthcare setting to treat adult patients with known or suspected COVID-19 who are experiencing an exacerbation of asthma-related dyspnea and reduced airflow, and for whom approved pharmacologic therapies are not tolerated or provide insufficient symptom relief as assessed by their healthcare provider, using noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) on either side of the patient's neck.

gammaCore Sapphire CV has been authorized only for the duration of the statement that circumstances exist that warrant authorization of the emergency use of medical devices under section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbbb-3(b)(1), until the authorization is terminated or revoked.

More information can be found at:

Letter of authorization: https://www.fda.gov/media/139967/download

Fact sheet for healthcare workers: https://www.fda.gov/media/139968/download

Patient information sheet: https://www.fda.gov/media/139969/download

Instructions for use of gammaCore: https://www.fda.gov/media/139970/download

Forward-looking statement

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding electroCore's business prospects, its sales and marketing and product development plans, future cash flow projections, anticipated costs, its product portfolio or potential markets for its technologies, the availability and impact of payor coverage, the potential of nVNS generally and gammaCore in particular to treat COVID-19, and other statements that are not historical in nature, particularly those using terminology such as "anticipates," "expects," "believes," "intends," other words of similar meaning, derivations of such words and the use of future dates. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the ability to obtain additional financing necessary to continue electroCore's business, sales and marketing and product development plans, the uncertainties inherent in the development of new products or technologies, the ability to successfully commercialize gammaCore™, competition in the industry in which electroCore operates and general market conditions. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and electroCore undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Investors should refer to all information set forth in this document and should also refer to the disclosure of risk factors set forth in the reports and other documents electroCore files with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov.

Investors:
Rich Cockrell
CG Capital
404-736-3838
ECOR@cg.capital

or

Media Contact:
Summer Diaz
electroCore
973-290-0097
summer.diaz@electrocore.com