Virpax® Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a company specializing in developing non-addictive products for pain management, post-traumatic stress disorder, central nervous system (CNS) disorders and anti-viral indications, today announced that it has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research to evaluate Virpax’s Probudur™, an injectable long-acting liposomal bupivacaine in a hydrogel formulation that is injected at the wound site. Probudur is being developed to significantly reduce or eliminate the need for opioids after surgery in approved indications. Probudur is a local anesthetic that binds to the sodium channel, preventing pain signals from reaching the brain. In pre-clinical trials, Probudur has shown long duration pain control for at least 96 hours. The USAISR is the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) primary laboratory for developing solutions for trauma and critical care challenges in combat casualties.
“We are excited to announce this CRADA with the DOD as these military and government research collaborations are an integral part of our non-dilutive funding strategy,”
Anthony P. Mack, chairman and CEO of Virpax
In August of 2020, Virpax entered into a CRADA with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, an institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for the development of Envelta™, it’s intranasal spray product candidate for severe post-cancer pain and non-cancer pain. Under that agreement, multiple contracts to support the research, development, and manufacturing of Envelta have been awarded by the NIH to continue the product’s progress.
About Virpax Pharmaceuticals
Virpax is developing branded product candidates for non-addictive pain management and neurological disorders using its proprietary technologies to optimize and target drug delivery. Virpax is initially seeking FDA approval of its three patented drug delivery platforms. Epoladerm™ is a topical diclofenac spray film formulation being developed to manage osteoarthritis pain. Probudur™ is a single injection long-acting liposomal bupivacaine formulation being developed to manage post-operative pain. Envelta™ is an intranasal Molecular-Envelope Technology (MET) enkephalin formulation being developed for the management of post-cancer pain and non-cancer pain, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) under the name PES200. MET technology is also used in AnQlar™, Virpax’s product candidate to inhibit viral replication caused by influenza or SARS-CoV-2. Virpax recently acquired global rights to VRP324, a product candidate for the nasal delivery of a pharmaceutical-grade cannabidiol (CBD) for the management of rare pediatric epilepsy.