RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc (RSPI)

[enemem]

I think Lilly was developing high-impacts. The RD indication is treatable using low-impacts. Neuro argued that the clinical trials for combining opioids and ampakines to preempt RD would be costly, but my sense is that the tight causal link between widely used opioids and RD-induced death leaves drug companies exposed to the risk of lawsuits. My sense is that opioid dosages that effectively manage chronic pain are high enough to impact respiratory control, so there's not much wiggle room.

I don't think the problem is with ampakines. Opioids are indisputably more dangerous than ampakines, and they have been approved (I think you cited 133 M prescriptions in the US a while back); SSRIs remain poorly understood; statins can induce liver failure, etc.

There are 2 no-brainer indications where large phase-2 clinical trials would be justified: incorporation of ampakines in post-operative pain management, and end of life paliative care pain management. Both of these would provide better data about efficacy and safety, in a context where the downside risks of sticking with conventional care is greater than the risk of trying these new compounds.

The issue isn't financial. Opioid overdoses led to 17,000 deaths; this is likely a very low estimate of the actual mortality rate associated with opioids.