RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (formerly Cortex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) () is a pharmaceutical company based in
Glen Rock, New Jersey
Glen Rock is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 12,133, reflecting an increase of 532 (+4.6%) from the 11,601 counted in the 2010 census,allosteric modulators of the
AMPA receptor
The α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (also known as AMPA receptor, AMPAR, or quisqualate receptor) is an ionotropic transmembrane receptor for glutamate (iGluR) that mediates fast synaptic transmission in the ce ...
clinical trials
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...
for CX717 for use as a treatment for
Alzheimer
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...
’s, ADHD and Sleep disorders. In 2006, The FDA halted clinical trials for CX717 because they feared the drug was toxic. They later allowed testing to continue but at doses too low to have any effect. In July 2007, The FDA gave Cortex permission to continue with clinical trials for CX717, as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. In September 2007, Cortex filed with the FDA to test CX717 as a treatment for ADHD. In October 2007, Dr. Pierre Tran became
Chief Medical Officer
Chief medical officer (CMO) is the title used in many countries for the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical ...
at Cortex after the FDA refused to let the company proceed with Phase II clinical trials for CX717 as a treatment for ADHD. In March 2008, German regulators approved clinical studies for using CX717 to prevent breathing problems caused by
opiate
An opiate, in classical pharmacology, is a substance derived from opium. In more modern usage, the term ''opioid'' is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain (including antagonist ...
pain-killers. In May 2008, President and CEO Dr. Roger Stoll announced that he was resigning and would be replaced by Mark Varney.
On June 13, 2018, RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. entered into a letter of intent with Noramco Inc., a producer of controlled substances bulk APIs for the pharmaceutical industry, pursuant to which the parties have entered into a 90-day period, during which they will negotiate a definitive agreement regarding the RespireRx’s development of dronabinol, a
synthetic cannabinoid
Synthetic cannabinoids are a class of designer drug molecules that bind to the same receptors to which cannabinoids ( THC, CBD and many others) in cannabis plants attach. These novel psychoactive substances should not be confused with synth ...
, also known as Δ9-
tetrahydrocannabinol
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis and one of at least 113 total cannabinoids identified on the plant. Although the chemical formula for THC (C21H30O2) describes multiple isomers, the term ''THC' ...