Fentanyl Citrate

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SRX Global Inc. (NYSE American: SRXH) (the “Company” or “SRX”), an AI-enabled platform dedicated to generating long-term shareholder value through investments in high-conviction operating companies and strategic assets, today is providing shareholders with an update on its portfolio company ARMR Sciences (“ARMR”), a clinical-stage biodefense company developing a platform of medical countermeasures against synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, from its CEO, Collin Gage. ARMR recently announced its lead product, ARMR-100, successfully generated an anti-fentanyl immune response in humans and showed favorable safety data. This marks a critical milestone in the Company's path toward demonstrating that this response can protect against fentanyl. “This is a very encouraging period for ARMR,” said Kent Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer of SRX Global Inc. “As an early stage investment for SRX, ARMR is demonstrating strong biological validation along with real strategic and regulatory momentum. Our investment thesis continues to strengthen as we reduce risk across multiple fronts.” The full text of ARMR's update to its partners, provided by CEO Collin Gage, follows below. Dear Partners, We are thrilled to share some exciting interim updates with you all.1 More details are below the summary. Phase 1/2 clinical trial update. Since we started dosing patients in March, the trial has been going well. No vaccine-related severe adverse events have been reported, and we have successfully elicited an anti-fentanyl immune response. Department of War (DoW) contract received. The purpose is to partner on “Establishing a GenAI platform for the Licensure of Medical Countermeasures.” This provides the opportunity to accelerate and improve the development of medical countermeasures against synthetic-drug threats, including those addressed by our fentanyl program. More on this below. FDA interactions - more below. In-person meeting with 36 attendees on November 3, 2026. DoW attendance.FDA MIDD acceptance. Clinical Trial Update Details As of this week, we have finished dosing four patient cohorts and have begun the challenge portion of the study. I’m pleased to report that we continue to see positive safety data and no vaccine-related serious adverse events. Additionally, we have seen a positive dose-response as we’ve escalated the doses. For reference, you can find a chart showing our dose-response curve below. It may not look like much, but this is what we want to see at this stage of the trial. Patients have demonstrated the anti-fentanyl antibody response and are having a steady increase in this response as we escalate doses. For the challenge portion of our study, we will focus on finding a dose that can be used for our anticipated follow-on clinical trials. As part of this, we will be administering varying doses of IV fentanyl while continuing to escalate the doses of our formulation. For those interested, our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Seth Toback, wrote a short summary of the data just below the chart. 1 This update is provided to Lenders in the ordinary course, and pursuant to Section 7.15 of the Note Purchase Agreement. It speaks only as of the date hereof, and ARMR undertakes no obligation to update it. Statements regarding anticipated financings, regulatory outcomes, business plans, or other future events are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. Clinical trial data described herein is preliminary, remains blinded, and is subject to change upon completion of the applicable cohort and further analysis. Nothing in this update amends, waives, or otherwise affects any right or position of ARMR or any Lender under the Note Purchase Agreement or the Notes, and all rights and remedies are expressly reserved. Dr. Seth Toback, Chief Medical Officer, ARMR Sciences: “Following our initial update on post-dose-1 immunogenicity data from Cohorts 1 and 2, representing the lowest antigen dose level under investigation (5 mcg FEN-CRM197 Conjugate) across two adjuvant dose levels (0.5 and 1 mcg dmLT), we are pleased to report updated blinded immunogenicity data now encompassing both the first and second vaccination time points for these cohorts. Following the second vaccine dose, administered on Day 31, we observed an anamnestic (booster) response characterized by an average several-fold increase in anti-fentanyl IgG titers relative to post-dose-1 levels, with peak titers observed approximately two weeks post-dose-2, the same interval at which the fentanyl challenge is conducted in later-stage cohorts. Two participants per cohort continued to show no measurable titer response across both dosing time points, consistent with the expected number of placebo recipients under the study's blinding scheme. All remaining participants demonstrated a positive antibody response above baseline following both doses. This booster response pattern supports continued dose escalation and progression of the study, which has since advanced through Cohorts 3 and 4, with the first fentanyl challenge cohort anticipated by the end of August. [As of the date of this release, the first fentanyl challenge cohort is underway.] Reactogenicity remains mild and short-lived, with no unexpected safety findings or serious adverse events. Future cohorts will investigate higher doses of 10-75 mcg FEN-CRM197.” You can hear more from Dr. Toback on the Life Science Success Podcast: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7482922858512281600/ Department of War Contract I’m happy to report that we’ve received a contract from the Department of War to partner in advancing a generative AI platform that uses historical preclinical and clinical data to accelerate the development of medical countermeasures against nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical threats, including synthetic drugs. This platform is designed to support FDA Animal Rule compliance (a potential regulatory pathway for ARMR), and it has the potential to significantly reduce development timelines, costs, and reliance on animal testing, hopefully helping deliver lifesaving defense capabilities to warfighters faster. FDA Model Informed Drug Development Acceptance and FDA Meeting in NovemberThe combination of our DoW contract and acceptance into the FDA’s MIDD program represents an important strategic and regulatory milestone. While the DoW contract provides strategic guidance and validation for our generative AI platform, the MIDD acceptance complements this work by giving us the opportunity to engage directly with the FDA on the use of predictive modeling in our development and regulatory strategy. For context, FDA selected our meeting request for its Model-Informed Drug Development (MIDD) Paired Meeting Program, which generally grants a limited number of requests per quarter (usually one to two). The program gives selected pharmaceutical sponsors an opportunity to meet with FDA staff to discuss the use of model-informed approaches in a specific drug-development program. MIDD uses computational modeling and simulation informed by nonclinical, clinical, biological, and statistical data. When successfully applied, these approaches can help refine dose selection, improve clinical-trial efficiency, predict outcomes, evaluate potential safety risks, and increase the probability of regulatory success. Selection for the program does not constitute FDA endorsement of the product or guarantee regulatory approval. Further details appear below. We plan to integrate these efforts with the DoW and MIDD program by using historical preclinical and clinical data to build predictive models, apply those models to select candidates, design more targeted animal studies, and feed new study results back into the generative AI platform. FDA engagement through MIDD could help align this approach with regulatory expectations under the Animal Rule, while the DoW contract could provide a practical pathway to develop and validate the technology in priority defense applications. Thank you all for your continued support of ARMR Sciences. Best Regards, Collin Gage About SRX Global Inc.SRX Global is an AI-driven platform focused on generating long-term shareholder value through investments in high-conviction operating companies, strategic assets, and technology-enabled opportunities. The company leverages proprietary technology, data analytics, and disciplined capital allocation to identify and manage investments across multiple sectors. About ARMR SciencesARMR Sciences is a clinical-stage biodefense company developing a platform of medical countermeasures against synthetic drugs, including fentanyl, and other emerging chemical threats. The company's lead product, ARMR-100, is designed to generate a protective immune response that produces antibodies capable of binding synthetic molecules and blocking them from reaching the brain. For more information, visit https://armrsciences.com. Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “aim,” “plan,” “may,” “could,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. This press release includes statements regarding SRX’s portfolio company ARMR Sciences, including ARMR’s clinical results, regulatory interactions, financing plans, potential public offering, and strategic discussions, that are based on information provided by ARMR and speak only as of the dates indicated. SRX does not control ARMR and cannot guarantee ARMR’s clinical, regulatory, financing, or business outcomes, and such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These risks include, but are not limited to, the ability to complete proposed transactions, shareholder approvals, market conditions, regulatory considerations, and other risks described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them, except as required by law. Company Contact:SRX Global Inc.Kent Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer Investor Contact:KCSA Strategic CommunicationsValter Pinto, Managing Director212-896-1254srx@kcsa.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5f1fb99d-0c38-4e66-8d23-734c2ce2fff0

Researchers discovered a brain-based “brake” that can shut down chronic nerve pain in mice by calming an overactive pain circuit. Targeting this system more precisely could one day lead to powerful pain relief without affecting opioid receptors throughout the entire body.Deep inside the brain, a small group of nerve cells helps control how strongly pain signals are felt. Under normal conditions, this system can suppress pain traveling through the spinal cord. After nerve damage, however, the same circuitry can become overactive and help sustain chronic pain. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have now identified a mechanism that helps explain this switch and may offer a way to reverse it. In mice, they found that receptors on cells in the brain's main alert and stress center can act as biological brakes that restrain pain. These receptors were already known for their role in stress, but the new findings suggest they can also quiet a pain-producing circuit and reduce chronic neuropathic pain caused by nerve injury. The study, published Aug. 17 in Current Biology, points to the locus coeruleus as a possible target for future pain therapies designed to act more precisely within the brain. "Millions of adults live with chronic neuropathic pain caused by nerve damage," said Jordan McCall, PhD, an associate professor in the Center for Clinical Pharmacology in the WashU Medicine Department of Anesthesiology and the study's senior author. "The pain is difficult to treat, and traditional opioid medications bind to receptors throughout the entire body and brain, often leading to side effects, tolerance and addiction risk. Understanding how localized receptors in the locus coeruleus act as gatekeepers could lead to more targeted, effective pain therapies with fewer risks." How Nerve Damage Can Turn Up Pain Neuropathic pain develops when injured nerve fibers repeatedly send abnormal signals to the brain. Those faulty messages can produce shooting, stabbing or burning sensations. Diabetes, viral infections and nerve compression are among the conditions that can lead to this type of pain. To investigate how the process might be stopped, McCall's team, including co-first authors Chao-Cheng Kuo, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate, and Makenzie R. Norris, a former graduate student, focused on the locus coeruleus, a brain region already known to help regulate pain. The researchers first confirmed that nerve injury can transform the locus coeruleus into an active source of pain. When they temporarily silenced cells in this region in mice, animals modeling neuropathic pain became less sensitive to touch and heat compared with healthy mice. Opioid Receptors Act as a Biological Brake The team then examined opioid responsive receptors on cells in the locus coeruleus, focusing especially on mu opioid receptors. Mu opioid receptors are found throughout the brain and spinal cord. When naturally produced opioids in the body, or synthetic opioids such as morphine and fentanyl, bind to these receptors, pain signaling across the nervous system is reduced. Because the locus coeruleus contains many of these receptors, the researchers investigated whether they play a particularly important role in controlling pain there. They removed mu opioid receptors specifically from locus coeruleus brain cells in mice with neuropathic pain. Without those receptors, the animals became even more sensitive to touch and heat than mice whose locus coeruleus cells still had mu opioid receptors. When the researchers restored the receptors to the same neurons, that increased sensitivity was reversed, effectively switching off the heightened pain response. A More Precise Target for Chronic Pain The findings suggest that chronic pain may interfere with the ability of mu opioid receptors to restrain activity in locus coeruleus brain cells. The researchers are now investigating ways to alter activity in the locus coeruleus without affecting opioid receptors throughout the rest of the nervous system. Their goal is to develop therapies that engage mu opioid receptors specifically within this brain region, potentially delivering strong relief from chronic neuropathic pain while reducing the risks associated with drugs that act more broadly across the brain and body. Kuo CC, Norris MR, Dunn SS, Becker LJ, Kim JR, Vazquez CR, Borges G, Thang LV, O'Brien JT, Parker KE, McCall JG. Mu opioid receptors gate the locus coeruleus pain generator. August 17, 2026. Current Biology. This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health, grant numbers R01NS117899, R01NS135401, F31NS124301 and F31DA065440; the National Science Foundation, grant number DGE-2139839; the McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience; a Collaboration Support initiative for Translational Anesthesiology Research (COSTAR) award from the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine; and the Rita Allen Foundation with added financial help from the Open Philanthropy Project. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official view of the NIH.