Ep. 263, Chapter 5: NIH Support and South Rampart Pharma's Path Forward With Hernan Bazan, M.D.

37:29 – End

Despite challenges like funding fluctuations, Dr. Bazan is confident in the NIH's pivotal role in supporting biotech innovation. He believes the NIH's staff and leadership are committed to making the system more efficient, and that companies must adapt to changes in funding and grant reviews.

South Rampart Pharma’s lead candidate, SRP-001, is ready for Phase 2 clinical trials. The initial indication for the Phase 2 trial is acute pain relief following wisdom tooth extraction, with the goal of producing "transactable data" — strong evidence of safety and efficacy that will make the asset attractive for partnerships. Partnership with a larger pharma after Phase 2 data is available is among several options the company is considering. This option would allow the partner to leverage its significant resources to execute a large-scale Phase 3 trial. In-house development is less likely but remains a consideration, as does out-licensing specific indications (such as chronic or neuropathic pain) while retaining others.