SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, FRANCE--(Marketwire - March 03, 2008) - NicOx S.A. (Euronext Paris: COX) today announced the initiation of two large clinical pharmacology studies in the United States, which will assess the blood pressure profile of naproxcinod in comparison to ibuprofen and naproxen, using the Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) technique. These separate studies, 12 and 16 weeks in duration, will together recruit a total of around 420 osteoarthritis patients with controlled hypertension and results are projected in Q4 2008. Naproxcinod is NicOx' lead investigational drug and the first compound in the COX-Inhibiting Nitric Oxide-Donating (CINOD) class of anti- inflammatory agents, which is currently in phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis, with results of the last two phase 3 studies anticipated in the second half of 2008.
