On Jul. 23, 2021, RELIEF THERAPEUTICS announced that the parent company of its collaboration partner, NRx Pharmaceuticals, reported that it had identified a statistically significant effect of aviptadil in preventing the sharp rise in cytokines, commonly associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19. They reported that the cytokine data were collected as part of the U.S. phase 2b/3 trial of aviptadil compared to placebo in critically ill patients with COVID-19 respiratory failure.