NRx Pharmaceuticals welcomed President Trump’s Executive Order “Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness,” signed on April 18, 2026. The order directs the acceleration of research and lowered barriers to approvals of psychedelic medications to treat depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidality. In the order, the President stated: “It is the policy of my Administration to accelerate innovative research models and appropriate drug approvals to increase access to psychedelic drugs that could save lives and reverse the crisis of serious mental illness in America.”
NRx Pharmaceuticals Chairman and CEO Jonathan C. Javitt stated: “We thank President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and Commissioner Makary for their leadership and decisive action to address America’s mental health crisis, particularly the devastating toll of PTSD and suicide among our veterans.” He emphasized that the Administration has “lent Presidential authority to a commitment to act with urgency on behalf of patients and families who can no longer wait.”
The order directs the FDA Commissioner to provide Commissioner’s National Priority Vouchers to appropriate psychedelic drugs that have received Breakthrough Therapy designation. NRx has applied for a CNPV in support of its upcoming New Drug Application for NRX-100, a preservative-free ketamine treatment. The company has been awarded Fast Track designation for NRX-100 to treat suicidal ideation in depression, including bipolar depression. Suicide remains the second leading cause of death among Americans under 35, and the only currently-approved treatment for suicidality in depression remains Electroshock Therapy.
The presidential order further directs the Department of Health and Human Services and FDA to collaborate with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the private sector to increase clinical trial participation, data sharing, and real-world evidence generation. Dr. Javitt noted that this aspect is expected to facilitate NRx’s proposed use of real-world evidence and already-completed federally-funded clinical trials in support of drug approval. He stated: “The neuroplastic drugs anticipated by this order, combined with treatments such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy are demonstrating remarkable and revolutionary results in clinical trials.”
NRx is developing NRX-100 (preservative-free intravenous ketamine) and NRX-101 (oral D-cycloserine/lurasidone), with NRX-101 having received Breakthrough Therapy Designation for suicidal bipolar depression.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.financialcontent.com/article/gnwcq-2026-4-20-nrx-pharmaceuticals-nasdaqnrxp-welcomes-presidential-initiative-to-accelerate-approval-of-psychedelic-medications-to-treat-depression-ptsd-and-suicidality