Elysium Therapeutics announced it has completed a $7.5 million SAFE round to accelerate development of SOOPR (Synthetic Opioid Overdose Protection and Reversal), a novel rescue treatment the company is designing specifically to prevent and reverse overdoses caused by highly potent synthetic opioids, particularly when ingested orally. The Lyons, Colorado-based biopharmaceutical company said the financing will support efforts to move SOOPR through additional preclinical and clinical work.
The company is positioning SOOPR as a rapid-onset, long-acting rescue agent aimed at synthetic opioids including fentanyl and emerging nitazenes. Elysium said SOOPR uses a proprietary naloxone prodrug formulation intended to deliver faster onset and longer duration than existing rescue agents, with a stated goal of quickly restoring respiration while providing 12 to 24 hours of opioid blockade to reduce the risk of re-narcotization.
Elysium also said SOOPR is designed to deliver naloxone with an infusion-like pharmacokinetic profile that it believes could help reduce the risk of severe withdrawal symptoms associated with nalmefene and high-dose naloxone products. The company said it is also intended to prevent same-day re-use of opioids and create a window for family members and healthcare professionals to connect overdose patients to medically assisted therapy.
Elysium cited in vivo proof-of-concept studies indicating SOOPR demonstrated a more rapid onset of action versus intranasal and intramuscular naloxone and a significantly longer duration of action. The company said this profile is designed to address oral fentanyl and nitazene overdoses, which it described as involving prolonged exposures that can outlast the short-acting profile of existing rescue agents.
KEY QUOTE:
“With these funds in place, we have initiated work to progress our SOOPR technology through preclinical and clinical studies as we develop this important, life-saving technology to address the deadly overdose epidemic caused by illicit synthetic opioids. Our society continues to see far too many overdose fatalities, and we believe that our SOOPR technology has enormous potential to become the new standard for rescue and as a countermeasure as the illicit drug market evolves to progressively more dangerous opioids.”
Greg Sturmer, CEO, Elysium Therapeutics
