Neurexis Therapeutics was formed in early 2020 to develop a new medication for the prevention of brain damage following ischemic events such as cardiac arrest and stroke. Licensed from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, this drug has the potential to significantly improve clinical outcomes for these patients, reduce total healthcare costs, and address a multibillion-dollar market opportunity.

The Problem: Cerebral ischemia is the loss of blood flow to the brain and can be caused by cardiac arrest, stroke, sickle cell anemia, congenital heart defects, high-risk vascular surgery, coronary disease, and other issues. The absence of circulation results in extensive nerve cell death, as well as in impaired function of the surviving nerve cells. Strokes alone cost the United States an estimated $34B each year and greatly reduce the quality of life for many patients.

The Solution: An FDA-approved neuroprotective therapeutic administered as a single bolus within 12 hours following restoration of circulation will have a tremendous impact on global healthcare. Neurexis is developing an optimized peptide, tatCN19o, which dramatically reduces both the loss of neurons and resulting cognitive and behavioral impact of ischemic disease.

Competitive Landscape & Market Opportunity:There are currently no approved neuroprotective drugs. The majority of treatments in development for stroke are thrombolytic agents and regenerative treatments. TatCN19o is compatible with tPA therapy and potentially more potent than the Phase III clinical candidate, Nerinetide. Assuming an average price of approximately $10K per dose based on the closest comparable (Genentech’s clot-busting tissue Plasminogen Activator or tPA) and utility in stroke, cardiac arrest, and other applications, the sales potential easily exceeds the billion dollar per year threshold for blockbuster status.