NRx Pharmaceuticals Advances Robotic-Enabled Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Neuroplastic Therapy for Military and First Responder Applications
- Dr. Dennis K. McBride, PhD (CAPT, Medical Service Corps, US Navy, Ret., Distinguished Research Fellow, National Defense University, and former senior executive, Office Secretary of Defense) to serve as first President of NRx Defense Systems
- Development initiative to be conducted through NRx Defense Systems, Inc., a newly incorporated R&D subsidiary, in partnership with Zeta Surgical, Inc. Initial focus will be the development of Combined Neuroplastic Therapy including D-Cycloserine (NRX-101) and Robotic-enabled Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the military and first-responder setting
MIAMI, April 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:NRXP), a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on neuroplastic therapies for depression, PTSD, and related conditions, today announces the incorporation of NRx Defense Systems, Inc., a Florida-based Research and Development subsidiary. The subsidiary is charged with development of neuroplastic treatments that combine D-cycloserine with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) under robotic-enabled neuro-navigation, using already developed technology. The Company anticipates participating in future government and non-governmental research and development on a basis that is non-dilutive to current shareholders.
NRx Defense Systems will be led by Dr. Dennis McBride, whose career spans the intersection of CNS disorders, neuroplastic therapy, and robotics. Dr. McBride began his career in Naval Aviation as a graduate of Navy Flight Surgeon School and went on to serve as a Naval Aerospace Experimental (Engineering) Psychologist across six high-technology laboratories. He later served as Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and as tri-Service Program Manager at the Naval Medical Research and Development Command. Following his retirement at the grade of Captain (O-6), Dr. McBride served as President of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies before being appointed via Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) as Distinguished Research Fellow and Director of the Center for Technology and National Security Policy at the National Defense University, appointed at the SES-4 level (flag officer equivalent).
Dr. McBride subsequently held leadership roles in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, including as Director of the SECDEF Acquisition Innovation Research Center. His decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. He has published, presented, and edited more than 125 scientific articles, technical reports, and book chapters, and has held full professor-level appointments across colleges of medicine, engineering, arts and sciences, public policy, architecture, business, and aeronautics. Over the course of his career, Dr. McBride has transitioned multiple biomedical and human factors technologies to private industry, with independent estimates of annual revenue enablement ranging from $15 billion to nearly $40 billion. His work has been widely covered in popular media.
Dr. McBride will be supported by NRx's newly-appointed Chief Medical Innovation Officer, Professor Joshua Brown, MD, PhD, who currently serves as Director of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Research at Harvard/McLean and is the Principal Investigator on projects related to TMS and neuroplastic therapy currently funded by the National Institutes of Health and DARPA.
The subsidiary's Chairman, Dr. Jonathan Javitt, MD, MPH founded NRx Pharmaceuticals and has nearly 40 years of health and defense-related R&D, having been appointed by President Reagan as an expert consultant to the Medical Program in 1988 and subsequently appointed by President Clinton in 1993 to the Executive Office of the President and then commissioned by President Bush as a Special Employee of the Undersecretary for Defense in 2003. He serves in a volunteer capacity as an active aviator and member of the National Staff of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Combined Neuroplastic Therapy for depression and PTSD is an increasing area of focus within military organizations because of the recognized five-fold increased risk in front-line troops and first responders. Accordingly, rapid and efficient treatment of these conditions becomes not only a critical healthcare issue, but also a force-readiness issue, in that those on antidepressants are not combat-deployable. A key objective of the NRx Defense Systems initiative is to develop robotic and artificial intelligence-enabled solutions that can be forward-deployed within military organizations without relying on a new layer of skilled medical professionals.
The prototype is being developed in partnership with Zeta Surgical, Inc., whose AI-powered neuronavigation platform received FDA 510(k) clearance for TMS navigation in October 2025. Zeta Surgical, Inc. is a medical technology company that has developed an AI-powered, frameless neuronavigation platform capable of providing sub-millimeter accuracy in real time without the need for head fixation or general anesthesia. The system is compact, mobile, and designed for deployment in both clinical and non-traditional settings.
NRx and Zeta anticipate unveiling the prototype robotic-enabled TMS technology with neuroplastic therapy at the 14th Annual meeting of the Clinical TMS Society (CTMSS) from June 4-6, 2026 in Boston, MA and offering a roundtable presentation at that forum.
About NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (www.nrxpharma.com), is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics based on its NMDA platform for the treatment of central nervous system disorders, specifically suicidal depression, chronic pain, and PTSD. The Company is developing NRX-100 (preservative-free intravenous ketamine) and NRX-101, (oral D-cycloserine/lurasidone). NRX-100 has been awarded Fast Track Designation for the treatment of Suicidal ideation in Depression, including Bipolar Depression. NRX-101 has been awarded Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of suicidal bipolar depression. NRx has filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), and initiated a New Drug Application filing for NRX-100 for the treatment of suicidal ideation in patients with depression, including bipolar depression.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as "may," "will," "should," "would," "expect," "plan," "believe," "intend," "look forward," and other similar expressions among others. These statements relate to future events or to the Company's future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The Company has reported regulatory milestones as they have been achieved but has not predicted the outcome of any future regulatory determination. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, including uncertainties and assumptions relating to the Company's operations, results of operations, growth strategy, and, among other things, liquidity. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Except as may be required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For further information:
Brian Korb
Managing Partner, astr partners
(917) 653-5122
[email protected]
