Discovering Novel Therapies for
Restless Leg Syndrome,
Treatment Resistant Depression
and Other Dopamine Related Diseases
Low Dose Naltrexone for Enhanced Dopamine Signaling
PharmoRx Therapeutics' patented method for improving dopamine signaling involves the use of low dose naltrexone (LDN) in combination with widely prescribed dopamine-related medications that are currently being used to treat a variety of central nervous system diseases, such as restless leg syndrome (RLS) and treatment resistant depression (TRD). We believe that our discovery provides us with a platform for enhanced therapies for RLS and TRD, as well as a number of impulsive compulsive disorders such as binge eating disorders and cocaine addiction.
Clinical Studies to Date
Our first study was performed to test the improved efficacy of a dopamine agonist for RLS by adding a low dose of the well characterized opioid antagonist, naltrexone, with the leading dopamimetics. The result of this study was quite impressive, showing that the small number of patients were able to achieve the same number of periodic leg movements even when the dose of the dopamimetic was cut in half.
Our second study was performed to quantitatively confirm our hypothesis that LDN could prevent or reverse desensitization at D2 and D3 receptors, allowing sustained efficacy of dopaminergic agents at lower doses for TRD. The results of this test were impressive as well, particularly given that an effective therapy for treatment resistant depression (TRD) has eluded the pharmaceutical industry for decade.
We are also engaged in research of other therapeutic areas for its proprietary enhancement of dopamine active medications for the following diseases:
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Other Depressive Disorders
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Parkinson’s Disease with Depression
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Impulsive Compulsive Disorders
PRODUCT PLATFORM
ABOUT
Our mission at PharmoRx Therapeutics is to create pharmaceutical therapies for treating dopamine-related central nervous system diseases.
Based on research and clinical results to date, we believe that we have found the key that unlocks the door to a successful therapy for Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD), as well as a promising platform for other diseases such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Depression in Parkinson’s, and Impulsive Compulsive Disorders (ICD).
Our first quest is to develop a medication for RLS, a disease that affects approximately 3 million people in the US, and millions more throughout the world. Many of these patients must increase their dosage to keep their symptoms under control. This dose escalation leads to a number of side effects. A successful cure continues to elude our industry and these millions of patients.
Our next goal will be to develop a medication for TRD, which affects approximately 4.8 million people in the US, and over 17 million throughout the world. New treatment options are desperately needed for TRD.
With our patented pharmacologic innovation and further clinical development, we intend to restore a happy and productive life to millions of people afflicted with RLS, TRD, MDD, ICD and other CNS diseases.
OUR TEAM
David Bear, MD
Chairman of the Board of Directors
David's discovery, together with the pharmacologic insights of Dr. Robert Kessler, led to a method of reversing desensitization to agonists at dopamine 2 and 3 receptor subtypes, the company’s powerful platform in neuropharmacology.
David is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, having conducted extensive research in neurological psychiatry with Norman Geschwind, the late James Jackson Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, a Fellowship at NINDS, and completed his Psychiatric Residency at MGH. He served on the faculties of Harvard, Vanderbilt, and the University of Massachusetts Medical Schools, where he was Professor of Psychiatry.
David is a serial entrepreneur, founding Covectra, a serialization company to combat opioid diversion and counterfeits. He has been awarded multiple patents for work related to the founding of these companies.
Robert Kessler, MD
Chief Medical Advisor
Bob is a co-founder PharmoRx Therapeutics. Together with David Bear, he patented the invention to develop novel uses of established dopamine-active agents in neuropsychiatry.
Bob is a neuroradiologist with over 30 years of experience in both PET and MRI imaging, both at a clinical and research level. He holds patents both in development of dopamine D2 receptor ligands and in development of MRI pulse sequences.
His PET research has included studies of cerebral metabolism, development of dopaminergic and glutamatergic PET radioligands for CNS neurotransmission, schizophrenia, mechanism of action of antipsychotic drugs, reward function, psychostimulant drug abuse, and obesity. His current interests include the interaction of dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission in psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Bob was a Professor of Radiology and Director of Neurochemical Brain Imaging and PET Neurotracer Development at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Previously, he was the Roentgen Professor of Radiology at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine where he held a number of positions including Director of Neuroradiology and Positron Tomography.
Bob attended Yale University as an undergraduate and received his M.D. from Yale School of Medicine. He subsequently joined a lab at the National Institutes of Health as it became the first to use PET scans to visualize activity of the brain.
Steve Wood
President & Chief Executive Officer
Steve is a co-founder of PharmoRx Therapeutics and also the President & CEO of Covectra, Inc., which provides serialization-based brand protection solutions to the pharmaceutical, medical device and food industries. Steve also serves on the Board of Directors of PharmoRx Therapeutics and Covectra.
Steve has over 30 years of experience in international business development and program management. He has extensive experience covering pharmaceutical product development, along with processing and packaging machinery, pharmaceutical security technologies and integrated systems.
After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Steve's professional career began in the U.S. Navy, serving in the submarine force for seven years. While in the Navy, Steve studied Russian at the Defense Language Institute, and worked in the naval intelligence community.
After leaving the Navy and getting his MBA from the Yale School of Management, Steve served as a senior executive in a number of industries, including packaging and printing machinery, defense engineering, and recording media.
Gary Miloscia
Chief Financial Officer
Gary has over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting, strategic planning, financial planning & analysis, and new product development across healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing industries. Gary also serves on the company's Board of Directors.
Gary joined PharmoRx Therapeutics in 2015 from Fidelity Investments, where he was Senior Director in the Strategy and Planning Office. His broader experience includes senior level finance positions at Health Dialog, American Express, and Unilever with vast experience in leading high-performing FP&A and accounting teams, strategic planning, contract negotiations, customer pricing, and financial model formulation.
Gary has a BS in Finance from Rutgers University and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University,
