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Our Company

All antidepressant medications are known to cause Akathisia and Suicidality.

We are the first company to demonstrate reduced Suicidality and Akathisia in clinical trials of an antidepressant.

Who we are

We are NRx – a pioneering and focused CNS biopharma company, dedicated to meeting unmet medical needs for those with suicidal depression, suicidal bipolar depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The company has filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for NRX-100, preservative-free IV ketamine and has initiated filing of an NDA for NRX-100 in people with suicidal depression.

We boldly address the life-threatening diseases facing the world today that often go untreated – by researching, developing, and scaling solutions to help people who most desperately need them.

We leverage proven science and clinical expertise to identify and apply medical solutions as immediately as possible, while simultaneously focusing on expanding therapeutic potential for the future.

Mission

NRx brings hope:
Life-saving medicines
For people living with unmet medical needs.

We believe in a world where scientific advancement makes untreatable diseases treatable.

NRx Team

Jonathan C. Javitt, M.D., M.P.H.

Founder, Chairman & Chief Scientist; Co-CEO HOPE Therapeutics

Jonathan C. Javitt, M.D., M.P.H.

Founder, Chairman & Chief Scientist; Co-CEO HOPE Therapeutics

Dr. Javitt has been a founder of seven successful healthcare IT and biopharma startups with public exits. He has additionally led drug-development engagements for Merck, Allergan, Pharmacia, Novartis, and Pfizer. He was appointed to healthcare leadership roles under Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush. In the latter role he was commissioned by President Bush to Chair the Health Committee of the President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) and to lead the development of Executive Order 13335, establishing the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. In the aftermath of 9/11, Dr. Javitt was appointed a Senior Fellow in the National Security Health Policy Center of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies to focus on biosecurity preparedness and appointed by President Bush to the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense. He is a graduate of Princeton University, Cornell University Medical College, Harvard School of Public Health, the Wills Eye Hospital, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The Harvard Chan School awarded him the Alumnus of Merit award in 2016 and he continues to serve as Adjunct Professor of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Javitt has published more than 200 scientific works in the areas of health outcomes and Pharmacoeconomics that have been cited by more than 29,000 scientists. In his role as Chief Scientist of NRx Pharmaceuticals he continues to lead NRx on Scientific matters to advance and expand our pipeline of lifesaving medicines.
Michael Abrams

Chief Financial Officer

Michael Abrams

Chief Financial Officer

Michael Abrams is a senior finance professional with almost three decades of experience as an executive officer, investment banker, director and senior advisor, which includes serving as the Chief Financial Officer of Arch Therapeutics, RiseIT Solutions. and FitLife Brands. Mr. Abrams has deep experience across multiple functional areas including, but not limited to, financial operations, accounting, mergers and acquisitions, financial engineering, capital raising and shareholder communications. He earned his MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business following his BBA with Honors from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he was named a William F. Field alumni scholar.
Rick Panicucci, Ph.D.

Chief Manufacturing Officer

Rick Panicucci, Ph.D.

Chief Manufacturing Officer

Rick is currently the SVP of CMC at BridgeBio Pharma. Prior to joining BridgeBio, Rick served as VP of Pharmaceutical Development Services at WuXi STA, where he provided scientific leadership in formulation development and GMP manufacturing. From 2004 to 2015, Rick served as Global Head of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Profiling (CPP) at Novartis. His responsibilities included all small molecule therapeutics across the Novartis portfolio. He also led and developed novel drug delivery technologies for small molecules and biologics. Rick has also led R&D groups at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Symbollon Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, and Bausch & Lomb. Rick earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Toronto and did a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Rebecca S. Cohen, MD, FAPA, FCTMSS

Medical Director

Rebecca S. Cohen, MD, FAPA, FCTMSS

Medical Director

Dr. Cohen is an Interventional Psychiatrist and Psychopharmacologist specializing in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders as well as a nationally recognized expert in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Cohen & Associates, was established in 2014 as one of the nation’s first interventional psychiatry practices. Dr Cohen brings pivotal leadership and clinical expertise to the entire HOPE network, defining and instilling NRx Pharmaceuticals and HOPE’s clinical values and focus on comprehensive, neuroplastic care. Dr. Cohen is a graduate of Tufts University and Boston University, where she earned her MS In medical sciences and was awarded her MD together with the psychiatry department’s Malamud Award for Excellence. She trained In adult psychiatry training at the University of Minnesota and Georgetown University, where she was twice awarded the Hugh H. Hussey Teaching award. She completed her fellowship in psychotherapy at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. She was appointed a Site Investigator of the National Outcomes Study for TMS in 2012. She currently serves on the International Clinical TMS Society (CTMSS) Board of Directors and has served as the Co-Chair of the Society’s Membership Committee.  
Dennis K. McBride, Ph.D.

Chief Strategy Officer

Dennis K. McBride, Ph.D.

Chief Strategy Officer

Dr. McBride has led numerous national and international initiatives in neuroscience and its interface with information technology, national security, and medical technology/drug development within the federal government, three of which are now multi-billion dollar enterprises. Dr. McBride began his career as a medical scientist in Naval Aviation and ergonomics and served in eight nationally prominent laboratories, including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Naval Aerospace Medical Research Lab, Naval Research Lab, the Office of Naval Research, and the Naval Medical Research Institute. Upon retiring as a highly decorated senior officer (O-6), he assumed leadership of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, where he continues to serve as President Emeritus. Following his ten-year term, he was recruited back to the National Defense University to lead the Center for Technology and National Security Policy, culminating his government career as a Senior Executive-4 (Civilian equivalent to Rear Admiral/Vice Admiral). Dr. McBride has served as an adviser to Cabinet Secretaries, US Congressional Committees, and to corporate C-Suite executives. His educational background includes formal enrollment at the University of Georgia, Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (flight surgeon school), the University of Southern California, the London School of Economics, and Harvard Business School, earning a Ph.D. in experimental psychology, four master’s degrees, and an additional postdoctoral education in aviation medicine, systems engineering science, and strategic disruption. He has published widely and was elected by faculty in 1999 to full professor. Dr. McBride has served at multiple universities in colleges of Arts & Sciences, Engineering, Public Policy, and Medicine. For the past 12 years, Dr. McBride has served as an adjunct Professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine and co-Director of Georgetown’s Regulatory Science Program.
Michael Taylor

Chief Development Officer

Michael Taylor

Chief Development Officer

Michael Taylor brings over 25 years of experience in global credit markets, with a focus on special situations and capital formation. He has served as Partner at the Adi Dassler International Family Office in Nassau, Bahamas, and as Managing Director at Oppenheimer & Co., where he specialized in complex debt structuring and multijurisdictional transactions. Prior to that, he spent eight years at Stone & Youngberg as Managing Director of Institutional Fixed Income Trading and Alternative Investments. Michael began his career as a Bond Trader at Morgan Stanley. A graduate of the London School of Economicswith a Bachelor of Science in Economics and International Relations, Michael has built a reputation for navigating complex financial environments and delivering innovative solutions. These skills will be integral to the growth of the HOPE clinic network. He joins NRx Pharmaceuticals as the Board Designee of Smith & Sauer, LLC, following the recently announced financing.
Glenn D. Tyson

Chief Commercial Officer

Glenn D. Tyson

Chief Commercial Officer

Mr. Tyson has both clinical and commercial experience in addressing the needs of people suffering with serious mental illness. He began his career as a counselor in multiple settings working with children and adults with psychiatric conditions and addiction, before joining the pharmaceutical industry where he has spent 25 years developing expertise in all aspects of commercialization and sales. He served at GSK for 14 years in increasingly senior roles. He then joined Indivior as VP of Strategy and New Product Development, and then SVP of Sales and Marketing and subsequently President of Behavioral Health. He led Indivior in the successful launch of SUBLOCADE®, a once-monthly injectable for the treatment of opioid addiction, delivering 17 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth during his tenure. Most recently, Mr. Tyson has focused on the emerging sector of companies developing neuroplastic therapies for psychiatric conditions, including leadership level work with Transcend Therapeutics who recently announced a $700m deal with Otsuka. As CCO, Mr. Tyson is responsible for building world-class market-access, distribution, sales and marketing functions to support commercialization of this NDA, as well as future pipeline assets in psychiatry designed to address the tremendous unmet needs of people suffering with serious mental illnesses.
Joshua Brown, MD, PhD

Chief Medical Innovation Officer

Joshua Brown, MD, PhD

Chief Medical Innovation Officer

Prof. Brown, is a psychiatrist, neurologist, and neuroscientist who studies the underlying mechanisms of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and translating these mechanisms into clinical optimization. He’s the Medical Director of the McLean Hospital TMS Service, the Director of TMS research, and founding director of the Brain Stimulation Mechanisms Laboratory with more than $20M awarded in federal funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He holds an appointment with Harvard Medical School as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and serves as the President of the Clinical TMS Society and founding Editor-in-Chief of the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation journal. Prof. Brown is an early pioneer in understanding the biologic effect of TMS and enhancing that biologic effect with neuroplastic medications, including D-cycloserine (under development by NRx as NRX-101). Additionally, he has been funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop pathways to deploy TMS as a therapy for treating combat-related depression and PTSD in a manner that can be forward deployable and enhance force preparedness. At NRx, he will collaborate with Dr. Dennis McBride, PhD (CAPT Ret. US Navy, SES4 Ret., National Defense University and Office of the Secretary of Defense), who serves as a Director and Chief Strategy Officer of NRx Pharmaceuticals.

Board of Directors

Patrick Flynn

Audit Committee Chair

Patrick Flynn

Audit Committee Chair

Mr. Flynn is a founding investor in NRx. He is an entrepreneur with more than 30 years of senior executive experience. He has provided leadership to numerous successful organizations and has served in a variety of roles, including CEO, COO, CFO and advisor. Pat currently serves as COO of Good Measures, Inc. He co-founded Predilytics, Inc., which was sold to Welltock, Inc. Previously, Pat served as COO and then as CEO of Health Dialog, which was sold to BUPA International. Pat continued with BUPA, opening its business in the GCC and China. Mr. Flynn began his career with Bank of America where he held several positions over the course of 15 years, including Vice President of World Banking and Vice President of Risk Management.
Chaim Hurvitz

Chaim Hurvitz

Mr. Chaim Hurvitz has served as the Chief Executive Officer of CH Health since May 2011. He previously served as the President of Teva International Group at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., from April 2002 to 2010 and was a Director and member of the senior management of Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. He serves as the Chairman of Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and has been its Director since 2011. He has been a Director of TheraCoat Ltd. since October 2010. He is a member of the management of the Manufacturers Association of Israel and head of its pharmaceutical branch. Mr. Hurvitz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and economics from Tel Aviv University.
Jonathan C. Javitt, M.D., M.P.H.

Founder, Chairman & Chief Scientist; Co-CEO HOPE Therapeutics

Jonathan C. Javitt, M.D., M.P.H.

Founder, Chairman & Chief Scientist; Co-CEO HOPE Therapeutics

Dr. Javitt has been a founder of seven successful healthcare IT and biopharma startups with public exits. He has additionally led drug-development engagements for Merck, Allergan, Pharmacia, Novartis, and Pfizer. He was appointed to healthcare leadership roles under Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush. In the latter role he was commissioned by President Bush to Chair the Health Committee of the President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) and to lead the development of Executive Order 13335, establishing the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. In the aftermath of 9/11, Dr. Javitt was appointed a Senior Fellow in the National Security Health Policy Center of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies to focus on biosecurity preparedness and appointed by President Bush to the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense. He is a graduate of Princeton University, Cornell University Medical College, Harvard School of Public Health, the Wills Eye Hospital, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The Harvard Chan School awarded him the Alumnus of Merit award in 2016 and he continues to serve as Adjunct Professor of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Javitt has published more than 200 scientific works in the areas of health outcomes and Pharmacoeconomics that have been cited by more than 29,000 scientists. In his role as Chief Scientist of NRx Pharmaceuticals he continues to lead NRx on Scientific matters to advance and expand our pipeline of lifesaving medicines.
Dennis K. McBride, Ph.D.

Chief Strategy Officer

Dennis K. McBride, Ph.D.

Chief Strategy Officer

Dr. McBride has led numerous national and international initiatives in neuroscience and its interface with information technology, national security, and medical technology/drug development within the federal government, three of which are now multi-billion dollar enterprises. Dr. McBride began his career as a medical scientist in Naval Aviation and ergonomics and served in eight nationally prominent laboratories, including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Naval Aerospace Medical Research Lab, Naval Research Lab, the Office of Naval Research, and the Naval Medical Research Institute. Upon retiring as a highly decorated senior officer (O-6), he assumed leadership of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, where he continues to serve as President Emeritus. Following his ten-year term, he was recruited back to the National Defense University to lead the Center for Technology and National Security Policy, culminating his government career as a Senior Executive-4 (Civilian equivalent to Rear Admiral/Vice Admiral). Dr. McBride has served as an adviser to Cabinet Secretaries, US Congressional Committees, and to corporate C-Suite executives. His educational background includes formal enrollment at the University of Georgia, Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (flight surgeon school), the University of Southern California, the London School of Economics, and Harvard Business School, earning a Ph.D. in experimental psychology, four master’s degrees, and an additional postdoctoral education in aviation medicine, systems engineering science, and strategic disruption. He has published widely and was elected by faculty in 1999 to full professor. Dr. McBride has served at multiple universities in colleges of Arts & Sciences, Engineering, Public Policy, and Medicine. For the past 12 years, Dr. McBride has served as an adjunct Professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine and co-Director of Georgetown’s Regulatory Science Program.
Michael Taylor

Chief Development Officer

Michael Taylor

Chief Development Officer

Michael Taylor brings over 25 years of experience in global credit markets, with a focus on special situations and capital formation. He has served as Partner at the Adi Dassler International Family Office in Nassau, Bahamas, and as Managing Director at Oppenheimer & Co., where he specialized in complex debt structuring and multijurisdictional transactions. Prior to that, he spent eight years at Stone & Youngberg as Managing Director of Institutional Fixed Income Trading and Alternative Investments. Michael began his career as a Bond Trader at Morgan Stanley. A graduate of the London School of Economicswith a Bachelor of Science in Economics and International Relations, Michael has built a reputation for navigating complex financial environments and delivering innovative solutions. These skills will be integral to the growth of the HOPE clinic network. He joins NRx Pharmaceuticals as the Board Designee of Smith & Sauer, LLC, following the recently announced financing.

Advisors

Prof. Daniel C. Javitt, M.D., Ph.D.

Co-founder & Chair, Scientific Advisory Board

Prof. Daniel C. Javitt, M.D., Ph.D.

Co-founder & Chair, Scientific Advisory Board

Professor Javitt has devoted the past 30 years to the intersection of psychiatry and brain science. He was the first to identify the role of the NMDA receptor in modulating human thought processes in psycho-affective disorders. He is the author of more than 250 scientific publications and 10 patents in the field and is one of the most-widely cited authors in neuropsychiatry. His work has merited awards from the American Psychiatric Association and other leading organizations.
Philip T. Lavin, Ph.D.

Chief Methodologist

Philip T. Lavin, Ph.D.

Chief Methodologist

Dr. Lavin is a highly respected biostatistician with more than 30 years experience supporting the design and analysis of clinical trials. Previously, he was a member of the biostatistics faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health, and a member of the Department of Surgery at Harvard Medical School where he was affiliated for more than 25 years. He co-founded Boston Biostatistics in 1983, a company known as Aptiv Solutions. During his career, Dr. Lavin has served as lead biostatistician for 50 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals, including 38 PMAs, more to date than any other biostatistician. He has also served as a Special Government Employee for 30 years advising the FDA on complex statistical and policy issues.
Prof. Marion Leboyer, M.D., Ph.D

Principal Investigator (EU)

Prof. Marion Leboyer, M.D., Ph.D

Principal Investigator (EU)

Marion Leboyer, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Paris Est Créteil (UPEC) in France. She is head of the DMU IMPACT (University-affiliated department of Psychiatry and Addictology (Hôpitaux Universitaires Mondor, Assistance-Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris). She also runs the laboratory “Translational NeuroPsychiatry” which is part of Mondor Institute for Biomedical research (IMRB, Inserm U955). Since 2007, she is the executive director of a non-profit foundation, “Fondation FondaMental” created by the French Ministry of Research. Dr. Leboyer has authored or co-authored more than 900 peer-reviewed international publications (H-index = 127) and is part of the highly cited researchers (Clarivate) since 2018. In 2022, she was ranked by Research.com best female scientist award (12 in France and 256 in the world among the Top Female Scientist). In December 2021, she received the Inserm Grand Prize. Her research efforts contributed to a better identification of genetic and environmental risk factors associated with major psychiatric disorders towards better understanding of causal mechanisms. In particular, she has contributed to the identification of associations of genetic vulnerability factors, of immune dysfunctions in major mood and psychotic disorders, but also of environmental risk factors as well as brain imaging abnormalities. Her goal is to develop biomarkers signatures to better identify homogenous subgroups of psychiatric disorders paving the way to mechanisms-based treatments. Within the 52 French expert center networks centers created and coordinated by Fondation FondaMental, several large and deeply phenotyped cohorts of patients have been followed allowing for the construction of shared observational databases and biobanks. These networks have enabled multiple collaborations within different national and international research programs. Dr Leboyer is the principal investigator of several international and national research projects.
Andrew Nierenberg, M.D.

Principal Investigator

Andrew Nierenberg, M.D.

Principal Investigator

Dr. Andrew Nierenberg has been at the Massachusetts General Hospital since 1992, where he holds his current positions. He is also Honorary Professor in the School of Medicine, Faculty of Health at Deakin University, Geelong Australia. Dr. Nierenberg has published over 500 papers and has been listed in The Best Doctors in America for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders in every edition since 1994. In 2000, he was awarded the Gerald L. Klerman Young Investigator Award and in 2014 the Gerald L. Klerman Senior Investigator Award by the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance. In 2013, Dr. Nierenberg was awarded the prestigious Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Colvin Prize for outstanding achievement in mood disorders research. In 2014, he was awarded the Mentorship Award for Exceptional Mentorship in the Research Arena at MGH. In 2014, 2015, and 2016 he was listed among the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds by Thompson Reuters in recognition of ranking among the top 1% of researchers for most cited papers in psychiatry worldwide. Dr. Nierenberg’s primary interests are bipolar depression and novel treatments. He lectures extensively, teaches, supervises, and mentors junior faculty, has an active clinical practice, consults to industry, and conducts clinical trials funded by federal, foundation, industry, and philanthropic sources. He serves as a peer reviewer for over 35 psychiatric journals. Dr. Nierenberg is a member of the editorial boards of over 15 journals and is the editor of Psychiatric Annals and is a deputy editor of Depression and Anxiety.
Wayne Pines

Regulatory & Patient Advocacy Advisor

Wayne Pines

Regulatory & Patient Advocacy Advisor

Mr. Pines previously served as Associate Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration.
Dan Iosifescu, MD, MSc
Gerard Sanacora, PhD, MD