A Comprehensive Monograph on Perflenapent (Dodecafluoropentane): Chemical Properties, Pharmacology, and Evolving Clinical Applications

1.0 Executive Summary

Perflenapent, a small molecule identified chemically as dodecafluoropentane, represents a unique perfluorocarbon (PFC) with a distinct and evolving history in clinical medicine. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of its chemical nature, dual pharmacological mechanisms, regulatory journey, and current investigational landscape. Initially developed by Sonus Pharmaceuticals as EchoGen®, an injectable emulsion, it gained marketing authorization in the European Union in 1998 as a phase-shift ultrasound contrast agent. Its mechanism in this role was predicated on the conversion of liquid nanodroplets into echogenic gas microbubbles upon entering the warmer physiological environment of the human body. Despite its European approval, EchoGen® failed to secure regulatory clearance in the United States and was subsequently withdrawn from the market, a decision attributed primarily to commercial and strategic factors rather than safety concerns.

In recent years, Perflenapent has been repurposed and is undergoing a clinical renaissance as a novel oxygen therapeutic, formulated as a dodecafluoropentane emulsion (DDFPe) and developed under the name NanO2™ by NuvOx Pharma LLC. This therapeutic application leverages the same fundamental physicochemical property that defined its function as a contrast agent: a boiling point of approximately 29°C. At physiological temperature (37°C), Perflenapent exists as a gas, a state in which it can dissolve and transport significantly more oxygen than liquid-phase PFCs. This property, combined with its chemical inertness and rapid, complete elimination from the body via pulmonary exhalation, confers a favorable safety and pharmacokinetic profile that circumvents the toxicity issues that plagued earlier-generation, high-boiling-point PFCs.