Ep. 263, Chapter 4: South Rampart Pharma's Evolution With Hernan Bazan, M.D.

33:31 – 37:28

Dr. Bazan states that, nearly a decade after its 2016 founding, South Rampart Pharma is where its founders envisioned: a clinical-stage company with robust human data for its lead drug candidate, SRP-001. The company successfully completed its Phase 1 trial, demonstrating that the drug is safe and well-tolerated while also establishing favorable pharmacokinetics. With an optimized protocol, the company is now prepared for a Phase 2 trial and aims to be ready for Phase 3 within 12 months.

A key achievement for the company is its composition-of-matter IP, which means the technology is entirely proprietary and not sub-licensed from another entity. South Rampart Pharma has overcome the volatile biotech funding landscape by creatively combining non-dilutive funding, primarily from the NIH, with investment from venture capital and angel groups. Dr. Bazan notes that the NIH continues to be a crucial partner, even as it faces budget cuts and changes to its grant review process.