- Preliminary research suggests that D-cycloserine significantly enhances the effect of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Trial is planned to be conducted at a leading US academic teaching hospital, three HOPE Therapeutics Clinics, and two military treatment facilities
- Company targeting non-dilutive funding to support enrollment of 400 patients
- Should the trial yield successful results, D-cycloserine-augmented TMS could play a significant role in the readiness of first responders, military personnel, and others affected by Treatment-resistant Depression
WILMINGTON, Del., May 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NRx Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:NRXP) announces receipt of clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to initiate a clinical trial of NRX-101 (D-cycloserine/lurasidone fixed dose combination) vs. placebo in patients with depression and suicidality who are being treated with either Robotic-assisted Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) or sham TMS. The placebo-controlled phase 2/3 trial is identified as “A Randomized, Double-Blind, Three-Arm Study of NRX-101 as Adjunctive Therapy to Active or Sham Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Adults with Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder (MIND1).
The trial will be conducted by NRx Defense Systems, a subsidiary of NRx Pharmaceuticals. The randomized portion of the clinical trial will enroll 240 participants at a leading US academic teaching hospital and three planned study sites maintained by HOPE Therapeutics, Inc. An additional group of participants is planned to be enrolled at two United States Military Treatment Facilities. Study sites will be announced following approval by Institutional Review Boards.
The Principal Investigator of the MIND1 trial, Prof. Josh Brown, PhD, MD served as the Principal Investigator of predecessor Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The Company anticipates that the newly-approved trial will be supported through non-dilutive sources, given the implications of a short-term effective and noninvasive treatment for depression on force readiness within the military and first responder organizations. In addition to serving as the Company’s Chief Medical Innovation Officer Dr. Brown serves as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Head of TMS Research at Harvard McClean Hospital.
The trial will be led organizationally by the President of NRx Defense Systems, Inc., Dr. Dennis K. McBride (CAPT, Medical Service Corps, Ret., US Navy), Distinguished Research Fellow, National Defense University, and former senior executive in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Dr. McBride twice served as a Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He has led, to highly successful transition, numerous medically complex projects from a wide range of research and development labs and offices in the US Department of War.
“We at NRx deeply appreciate the FDA’s support for this vital research initiative that has potential to address the well-known challenge of depression and suicide within our military and first-responder organizations. A short-term treatment that has the potential to restore vital personnel to duty without disqualifying antidepressant drugs would be a major advance with implications for the entire nation,” said Dr. McBride.
About NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (www.nrxpharma.com), is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics based on its NMDA platform for the treatment of central nervous system disorders, specifically suicidal depression, chronic pain, and PTSD. The Company is developing NRX-100 (preservative-free intravenous ketamine) and NRX-101, (oral D-cycloserine/lurasidone). NRX-100 has been awarded Fast Track Designation for the treatment of Suicidal ideation in Depression, including Bipolar Depression. NRX-101 has been awarded Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of suicidal bipolar depression. NRx has filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), and initiated a New Drug Application filing for NRX-100 for the treatment of suicidal ideation in patients with depression, including bipolar depression.
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For further information:
Brian Korb
Managing Partner, astr partners
(917) 653-5122
[email protected]