South Rampart Pharma

South Rampart Pharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company established in 2016 as a spin-out from the LSU Health School of Medicine in New Orleans. The company was co-founded by the father-son duo of Dr. Nicolas Bazan and Dr. Hernan Bazan, who also serves as the CEO. The inspiration for the company stemmed from Dr. Hernan Bazan's direct observations as a practicing vascular surgeon, where he identified a critical unmet need for safer, non-addictive pain relief options for his patients in post-operative and ambulatory settings. This clinical insight is combined with the extensive scientific background of Dr. Nicolas Bazan, a distinguished neuroscientist and Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU, who has dedicated his career to studying cellular and molecular signaling in the brain. This blend of hands-on clinical experience and deep scientific research forms the foundation of the company's mission.

The company is focused on developing a new class of non-opioid small molecule analgesics to address the significant risks associated with current pain management staples, such as the addictive potential of opioids and the organ toxicity of acetaminophen and NSAIDs. Its business model is centered on the clinical development and eventual commercialization of its proprietary drug candidates, a process supported by a lean operational strategy, funding from NIH grants, and equity investments. South Rampart Pharma operates within the massive global pain management market, which is valued at over $80 billion and affects more adults than diabetes and cancer combined.

South Rampart's lead product candidate is SRP-001, a first-in-class small molecule analogous to acetaminophen but designed to avoid its significant drawbacks. The key differentiator of SRP-001 is its mechanism of action; it works by triggering the formation of a metabolite known as AM404 in the midbrain's periaqueductal grey (PAG) region, a key area for pain modulation. Crucially, unlike acetaminophen, SRP-001 does not produce the toxic metabolite NAPQI, which is the primary cause of drug-induced acute liver failure. It also avoids the kidney toxicity associated with NSAIDs. In January 2024, the company announced the successful completion of its Phase 1 clinical trial involving 56 healthy volunteers, which demonstrated that SRP-001 was safe, well-tolerated, and possessed a favorable pharmacokinetic profile with a half-life of 10.1 hours. These positive results, combined with an FDA Fast Track designation for acute pain granted in October 2023, have paved the way for Phase 2 trials for acute pain, neuropathic pain, and migraine.

Keywords: non-opioid analgesic, pain management, clinical-stage biotech, hepatotoxicity, SRP-001, acetaminophen alternative, periaqueductal grey, AM404, neuropathic pain, acute pain, fever reduction, non-addictive pain relief, Hernan Bazan, Nicolas Bazan, LSU Health spin-out, small molecule therapeutic, organ toxicity, pain signaling pathways, non-NSAID, clinical trials, FDA Fast Track