Sparian Biosciences Inc. has been awarded a $19.5 million, 5-year grant to fund development of SBS-226 from IND submission through phase I development. SBS-226 is a first-in-class dual μ-opioid receptor partial agonist and δ-opioid receptor full antagonist in development for opiate use disorder and opiate withdrawal syndrome.

Grifols SA has entered into a partnership with the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to test investigational ocular surface immunoglobulin (OSIG) eye drops for their ability to treat ocular damage from sulfur mustard exposure.

Epivario Inc. has been awarded a small business innovation research (SBIR) grant of $275,000 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to advance research toward the development of a novel epigenetic regulator as a treatment for opioid use disorder.

Addex Therapeutics Ltd. and Indivior plc have announced the selection of clinical candidates from their γ-aminobutyric acid subtype B (GABA-B) positive allosteric modulator (PAM) research collaboration.

Researchers from the Basque Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE) have demonstrated that inhibiting posttranslational modification of proteins with NEDD8, a process called neddylation, was able to prevent liver damage induced by acetaminophen overdose.

Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered a new compound that increases the effects of naloxone, a drug that is used to treat overdoses from opioids like fentanyl, a narcotic that has triggered a public health crisis.

Brains from people with heroin use disorder have an increased number of hypocretin (Hcrt, orexin) neurons, which in turn are significantly smaller than in healthy controls. Meanwhile, human narcolepsy is known to present an average 90% loss of Hcrt neurons and no risk for drug abuse or overdose, even under methamphetamine or methylphenidate prescription, because of a greatly reduced reward activation of the ventral tegmental area (VTA).