WILMINGTON, Del., Sept. 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NeuroRx, a clinical stage biopharma company developing NRX-101, the first oral therapy for Severe Bipolar Depression with Acute Suicidal Ideation & Behavior (ASIB), announced today that Jonathan Javitt, M.D., M.P.H., the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, will update investors on the Company’s progress towards the planned Q4 initiation of its upcoming pivotal clinical trial and recently issued patents in the US, EU, China, Japan, and Australia at the upcoming Rodman Healthcare Conference, on September 5 at 11:40 am. In addition, the company is available to conduct one-on-one meetings with registered attendees of the conference.
Rodman Healthcare Conference Presentation Details
Date: Wednesday, September 5
Time: 11:40 am Eastern Time
Location: Astor Suite A
About Bipolar Depression and Acute Suicidal Ideation & Behavior
Bipolar disorder, which affects 5.7 million Americans, is characterized by significant changes in mood, from mania or hypomania, to depression, often quite severe. The depressive phase, which is called “bipolar depression,” can trigger suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Standard of care consists of hospitalized observation and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Unfortunately, most commonly-used antidepressants bear an FDA-mandated warning label identifying the potential to increase the risk of suicide.
Each day, approximately 100 Americans, and more than 2,100 people worldwide, end their lives by suicide, according to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Individuals who suffer from bipolar depression are at far greater risk of suicide than those with major depressive disorder and are believed to represent between 25% and 40% of the 45,000 who end their lives each year in the United States. 11%-20% of those diagnosed with bipolar disorder are believed to take their lives at some point. Overall, suicide has become a national epidemic and is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.
About NRX-101
NRX-101 is a patented, oral, fixed-dose combination of two FDA-approved drugs: d-cycloserine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor modulator, and lurasidone, a 5-HT2a receptor antagonist. D-cycloserine has now shown activity against depression, on top of standard antidepressant therapy in four clinical studies, and has also shown an effect on suicidality in some of these studies. NRX-101 is designed to address bipolar depression with suicidal ideation, an indication for which there is no currently approved drug and for which the only FDA-approved treatment remains electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). NeuroRx was granted Fast Track designation by the US FDA for this indication in August 2017.
About NeuroRx, Inc.
NeuroRx draws upon 30 years of basic science and clinical expertise in the role of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), a receptor that regulates human thought processes, particularly depression and suicidality. The company is privately funded and led by former senior executives of Johnson &Johnson, Pfizer Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company. NeuroRx’s Board of Directors and Advisors includes Hon. Sherry Glied, former Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Department of the US Health and Human Services; Chaim Hurvitz, former President, TEVA International Group; Wayne Pines, former Associate Commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration, and Daniel Troy, former Chief Counsel, United States Food and Drug Administration.
