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Our Company

United in the mission of bringing life-saving treatments to patients.

Who we are We are NRx - an agile and specialized biopharma company, resolutely focused on meeting the unmet medical needs of today.

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

Leadership team

Jonathan C. Javitt, M.D., M.P.H.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Javitt has played leadership roles in seven successful healthcare IT and biopharma startups with public exits. He has additionally led drug-development engagements for Merck, Allergan, Pharmacia, Novartis, and Pfizer.

NRx Team

Robert Besthof, M.I.M.

Head of Operations & Chief Commercial Officer

Robert Besthof, M.I.M.

Head of Operations & Chief Commercial Officer

Mr. Besthof is a global biopharmaceutical executive with a 25+ year career leading global pipeline & country operational marketing & sales roles. He has managed numerous specialty disease area, from small to billion-dollar brands in Ophthalmology, Neuroscience, Pain, and Pulmonary Vascular Disease. His teams have played key roles in translating new science into investable commercial paths, reshaping markets, launching breakthrough products, and closing numerous licensing deals. Mr. Besthof has worked for Eli Lilly, Wyeth, and most recently Pfizer, as Vice President of Commercial Development for Neuroscience & Pain. Earlier in his career Mr. Besthof worked for Deutsche Bank and for various consulting firms. He holds a B.A. from Case Western Reserve University and a Master’s Degree in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
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.
Dennis K. McBride, Ph.D.

Chief Strategy Officer & Senior Scientist

Dennis K. McBride, Ph.D.

Chief Strategy Officer & Senior Scientist

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.
Alessandra Daigneault

General Counsel & Secretary

Alessandra Daigneault

General Counsel & Secretary

Mrs. Daigneault joined NRx as its Corporate Secretary in September 2020. Prior to joining NRx, she was co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Quantum Governance LLC, where she continues to serve as a director. She also served as Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel for Teligent, Inc. and its successor companies, First Avenue Networks and FiberTower Corporation, all publicly traded telecommunications companies, from October 2000 to May 2008. Ms. Daigneault began her legal career with Milbank LLP and was a Partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Tucker, Flyer & Lewis (now Venable LLP) where she represented clients on various corporate and commercial transactions. Ms. Daigneault holds a Bachelor of Science, Magna Cum Laude, from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.
Randy Guggenheimer

Chief Business Officer

Randy Guggenheimer

Chief Business Officer

Randy brings more than 30 years of investment banking experience dedicated to advising biopharmaceutical companies worldwide. He has advised on numerous corporate M&A, partnering transactions and public and private financings. Most recently, Randy was a Managing Director at Young & Partners, a boutique investment banking firm serving the life sciences and chemical industries. Prior to Young & Partners, Randy was Head of Health Care Investment Banking for the Americas at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and worked for more than 15 years at Lehman Brothers as Managing Director in the Healthcare Group, Managing Director in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group and as Co-Head of Healthcare Mergers & Acquisitions. Randy received an AB degree in Economics at Harvard College and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Jack Hirschfield

Head of External Affairs

Jack Hirschfield

Head of External Affairs

Jack Hirschfield joined NRx in May 2021 and leads External Affairs for NRx. Prior to joining NRx, Jack was an award-winning broadcast journalist, focusing on politics and healthcare. Jack also served as Director of Communications for Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10) where he ran media and communication efforts for the Congressman across the globe. Jack began his healthcare career at Pfizer, serving as Director of Public Affairs and Director of Corporate Affairs. Jack served in a similar position leading U.S. Brand Communications for Oncology and Neurology at AbbVie, where he was responsible for the communications surrounding multiple launches and managing several campaigns. Jack holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa.

Board of Directors

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

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

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

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Javitt has played leadership roles in 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 to lead the White House policy for universal adoption of Health IT and establishment of the Office of the National Coordinator. He is a graduate of Princeton University, Cornell University Medical College, Harvard School of Public Health, the Wills Eye Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Medical School. Dr. Javitt has published more than 200 scientific works in the areas of health outcomes and pharmacoeconomics that have been cited by more than 16,000 people.
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.
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.
Hon. Sherry A. Glied, Ph.D.

Hon. Sherry A. Glied, Ph.D.

Dr. Glied, whose principal areas of research are in health policy reform and mental health care policy, was named Dean of New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service in 2013. From 1989-2013, Dr. Glied was professor of health policy and management at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and served as chair of the department of health policy and management from 1998-2009. In 2010, Dr. Glied was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services, serving in that capacity from July 2010 through August 2012. She had previously served as senior economist for health care and labor market policy on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers in 1992-1993, under Presidents Bush and Clinton, and participated in the Clinton Health Care Task Force.
Daniel E. Troy, J.D.

Daniel E. Troy, J.D.

Mr. Troy is the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Valo. Previously, Dan was the General Counsel of GlaxoSmithKline from 2008 until 2018. Before that, he was a partner in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) practice at Sidley Austin, which he joined after serving as FDA Chief Counsel. He practiced constitutional, administrative, and appellate law at Wiley Rein and Fielding, served in the Office of Legal Counsel at the US Department of Justice and clerked for D.C. Circuit Judge Robert H. Bork. Dan holds a JD from Columbia Law School, where he was a Kent and Stone Scholar, and a BS from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He is the author of numerous publications and currently chairs the US Litigation Center. In 2013, the Burton Awards named him a “Legend in the Law.”
Hon. LtG. Herbert Raymond McMaster, US Army, Ret.

Hon. LtG. Herbert Raymond McMaster, US Army, Ret.

The Honorable Herbert Raymond “H.R.” McMaster (LTG US Army, Ret.McMaster) currently serves as the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and distinguished himself as a combat officer and leader over a 34-year career in the US Army, following which he served as 26th National Security Advisor (Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs). In addition to his role at Hoover Institution, McMaster currently serves at Stanford University as the Susan and Bernard Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute, and a lecturer at the Graduate School of Business. He is a bestselling author and historian who writes and lectures on military and diplomatic history, national security policy, and leadership.

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.
Melvin L. Morganroth, M.D.

Clinical Advisor COVID-19

Melvin L. Morganroth, M.D.

Clinical Advisor COVID-19

Dr. Morganroth received both his undergraduate degree and medical degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He completed both his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. He completed a Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. He was an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division from 1984-1990. At the University of Michigan, in addition to being active in patient care, he was also director of the Critical Care Medicine Unit, co-director of the critical care fellowship training program and carried out basic research on acute lung injury. Since 1990 he has served as the Director of the Research Department in the Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Division of The Oregon Clinic. He is active in patient care, teaching and clinical research. He has been the principal investigator in many research studies and authored multiple journal articles and book chapters on topics related to respiratory disease.
Rick Panicucci

CMC and Technical Advisor

Rick Panicucci

CMC and Technical Advisor

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.
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.
Harry B. Peled, M.D. FACC, CCS, CCS-P, HEC-C

Clinical Advisor COVID-19

Harry B. Peled, M.D. FACC, CCS, CCS-P, HEC-C

Clinical Advisor COVID-19

Dr. Harry Peled is the Medical Director of Cardiology and Critical Care at Saint Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, California. In addition to being board-certified in cardiology and critical care, he is also board-certified in geriatrics, palliative care and neurocritical care. He graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine with special distinction for research. He has authored works published In the New England Journal of Medicine, Chest, Annals of Internal Medicine, and many others. He also holds a Masters Degree in Bio Ethics and Health Policy from Loyola University.