RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (formerly Cortex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) () is a pharmaceutical company based in

Glen Rock, New Jersey Glen Rock is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 12,133, an increase of 532 (+4.6%) from the 2010 United ...

specializing in positive

allosteric modulator In pharmacology and biochemistry, allosteric modulators are a group of substances that bind to a receptor to change that receptor's response to stimuli. Some of them, like benzodiazepines or alcohol, function as psychoactive drugs. The site that a ...

s of the

AMPA receptor The α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPA receptor, AMPAR, or quisqualate receptor) is an ionotropic receptor, ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) and predominantly sodium ion channel that mediates fast excitator ...

known as

Ampakines Ampakines or AMPAkines are a subgroup of AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulators with a benzamide or closely related chemical structure. They are also known as "CX compounds". Ampakines take their name from the AMPA receptor (AMPAR), a type ...

History

In February 2005, Cortex received

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

approval to begin Phase II

clinical trials Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

for CX717 for use as a treatment for

Alzheimer Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

’s,

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

and

Sleep disorder A sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder affecting an individual's sleep patterns, sometimes impacting physical, mental, social, and emotional functioning. Polysomnography and actigraphy are tests commonly ordered for diagnosing sle ...

s.
In 2006, The FDA halted clinical trials for

CX717 CX717 is an ampakine compound created by Christopher Marrs and Gary Rogers in 1996 at Cortex Pharmaceuticals. It affects the neurotransmitter glutamate, with trials showing the drug improves cognitive functioning and memory. Approval process In ...

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 Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

.
In September 2007, Cortex filed with the FDA to test CX717 as a treatment for

.
In October 2007, Dr. Pierre Tran became Chief Medical Officer at Cortex after the FDA refused to let the company proceed with

Phase II clinical trials The phases of clinical research are the stages in which scientists conduct experiments with a health intervention to obtain sufficient evidence for a process considered effective as a medical treatment. For drug development, the clinical phases ...

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 is an alkaloid substance derived from opium (or poppy straw). It differs from the similar term ''opioid'' in that the latter is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain ( ...

pain-killers. In May 2008, President and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

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 Dronabinol (), sold under the brand names Marinol and Syndros, is the generic name for the molecule of (−)-trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the pharmaceutical context. It has indications as an appetite stimulant, antiemetic, and sleep ...

, a

synthetic cannabinoid Synthetic cannabinoids, or neocannabinoids, are a class of designer drug molecules that Binding affinity, bind to the same receptors to which cannabinoids (Tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, Cannabidiol, CBD and many others) in cannabis plants attach. Th ...

, also known as Δ9-

tetrahydrocannabinol Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a cannabinoid found in cannabis. It 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) de ...

or Δ9-THC.

References

External links

RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. official website
{{Pharmaceutical companies of the United States Companies traded over-the-counter in the United States Pharmaceutical companies based in New Jersey