Kelowna, British Columbia - TheNewswire – April 21, 2020 – Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (OTC:LXRP) (CSE:LXX) (CNSX:LXX.CN) (the “Company” or “Lexaria”), a global innovator in drug delivery platforms, has filed an important new patent application in the United States describing the use of its DehydraTECH™ technology for the delivery of antiviral drugs. The technology would potentially be used to improve treatment options for viral infectious diseases including COVID-19, MERS, SARS, influenza, herpes, hepatitis and AIDS. 

This new patent application includes both method of use and composition of matter claims for the use of Lexaria's DehydraTECH drug delivery technology as a means to increase the bioavailability and, we hypothesize, the effectiveness and tolerability of those oral, lipophilic antiviral drugs that otherwise demonstrate low gastrointestinal uptake and systemic delivery.  This patent application also describes use of DehydraTECH to render dosage forms suitable for application to mucosal tissues of the oral, nasal, oropharyngeal, pulmonary and genitourinary tracts, as well as methods and compositions to combine antiviral drugs with anti-inflammatory drugs for enhanced therapeutic effectiveness.

“Lexaria’s proprietary drug delivery platform has already proven its effectiveness in the oral delivery of other lipophilic drugs such as nicotine, cannabinoids, and more, with multi-fold increases in both the rate and extent of bioabsorption,” said John Docherty, President of Lexaria Bioscience Corp. “We hypothesize that, once detailed testing begins, DehydraTECH will evidence improvements in the quantity and rapidity with which certain antiviral drugs are able to reach the human bloodstream after oral delivery. This has the potential to make a real contribution in the fight against COVID-19.”

Currently, many of the most effective antiviral drugs require administration by needle injection, an expensive delivery method that often requires refrigeration of the drug and administration by health care professionals. Although oral ingestible delivery (capsules, tablets, pills etc.) is much less expensive and less intrusive, many existing antiviral drugs delivered orally suffer from poor bioavailability and unpleasant side effects at doses high enough to be effective.

Lexaria believes that these drugs can be inexpensively processed with Lexaria’s DehydraTECH to improve the speed and extent with which they reach the bloodstream to, and in turn, improve their therapeutic potency, tolerability and cost-effectiveness, whether administered alone or in combination with anti-inflammatory agents that are often required to improve outcomes in virally infected patients.

According to the CDC, seasonal influenza affected 35.5 million Americans in 2018-2019 with 490,600 hospitalizations. If drugs such as rimantadine are administered soon after influenza infection prior to the cytokine storm inflammatory response taking effect, then many of the more serious disease consequences may be avoidable such as acute respiratory distress and pneumonia; which are also among the more dangerous symptoms of COVID-19. Lexaria's newly submitted patent application specifically contemplates combination of anti-inflammatory drugs with antiviral drugs, all utilizing DehydraTECH, with a view to improved treatment outcomes for infectious disease states.

Lexaria will be filing for additional patent protection in many international markets, related to the use of DehydraTECH for delivery of antiviral drugs.

About Lexaria

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. is a global innovator in drug delivery platforms. Its patented DehydraTECH™ drug delivery technology changes the way API’s enter the bloodstream, promoting healthier ingestion methods, lower overall dosing and higher effectiveness for lipophilic active molecules. DehydraTECH increases bio-absorption; reduces time of onset; and can reduce drug costs for orally administered bioactive molecules including nicotine, vitamins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other molecules. Lexaria has licensed DehydraTECH to multiple companies for use in various oral application formats, including to a world-leading tobacco producer for the development of smokeless, oral-based nicotine products. Lexaria operates a federally licensed in-house research laboratory and holds a robust intellectual property portfolio with 16 patents granted and over 60 patents pending worldwide.

www.lexariabioscience.com

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Lexaria Bioscience Corp.

Chris Bunka, CEO

(250) 765-6424

Or

NetworkNewsWire (NNW)

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release includes forward-looking statements. Statements which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. The Company makes forward-looking public statements concerning its expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including statements that include words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: that any additional patent protection will be realized or that patent achievements will deliver material results. Such forward-looking statements are estimates reflecting the Company's best judgment based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that other factors will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the Company include, but are not limited to, government regulation and regulatory approvals, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition, scientific discovery, the patent application and approval process and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements and filings. There is no assurance that existing capital is sufficient for the Company's needs or that it will be able to raise additional capital. There is no assurance the Company will be capable of developing, marketing, licensing, or selling products containing cannabinoids, anti-viral drugs or any other active ingredient. There is no assurance that any planned corporate activity, scientific research or study, business venture, letter of intent, technology licensing pursuit, patent application or allowance, consumer study, or any initiative will be pursued, or if pursued, will be successful. There is no assurance that any of Lexaria’s postulated uses, benefits, or advantages for the patented and patent-pending technology will in fact be realized in any manner or in any part. No statement herein has been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Lexaria-produced products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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