PharmaTher Holdings announced that it officially received FDA approval for its ketamine product, KETARx™, for use in surgical pain management. While surgical pain management is one use of KETARx™, the company is also actively running clinical trials for KETARx™ in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease, depression, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Here’s what CEO Fabio Chianelli had to say…
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"Today marks a new chapter for PharmaTher. With FDA approval for ketamine now in hand, we are closer to realizing our goal of becoming a global leader in ketamine-based pharmaceuticals. This historic FDA approval for PharmaTher is a testament to years of dedicated development, signalling a new era of growth. We remain steadfast in our mission to harness the pharmaceutical potential of ketamine for a range of mental health, neurological, and pain disorders."
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Here’s more: https://www.pharmather.com/news/pharmather-announces-fda-approval-of-ketamine-ketarxtm

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine announced the discovery of a specific group of spinal cord interneurons that help regulate breathing when the body faces challenges such as high carbon dioxide levels. Blocking these neurons impaired the body’s ability to adapt its breathing, thereby suggesting they play a key role in respiratory control.

This groundbreaking research could lead to new treatments for people with spinal cord injuries or neurodegenerative diseases who struggle to breathe independently.  

Here’s more: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(25)00849-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2211124725008496%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

According to researchers at the NIH, adults who smoke cigarettes and are addicted to alcohol or other drugs are more likely to achieve sustained remission of their substance use disorder symptoms if they also quit smoking.

Although this longitudinal analysis strongly suggests that quitting smoking plays a role in improved recovery outcomes from other substance use disorders, further research will be needed to definitively establish a causal connection. Researchers also noted the need for more research on the best ways to support smoking cessation among people in treatment or recovery for substance use disorders.

Interestingly, we’ve covered smoking cessation in the past – an early study by Johns Hopkins researchers that used psilocybin (in the context of a cognitive behavioral therapy treatment program) to help long-time smokers kick that nasty habit.  

The abstinence rate for study participants was 80 percent after six months, which is huge. Today’s most common FDA-approved smoking cessation drug has a roughly 35% success rate.

In any event, with this NIH study, there is now strong evidence from a national sample that suggests quitting cigarette smoking predicts improved recovery from other substance use disorders. Check it out: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2837251

Did you know that cycling can boost brain function in people living with Parkinson’s Disease?

According to a new study published in the journal Clinical Neurophysiology, long-term adaptive cycling can measurably reshape brain signals in people with Parkinson’s Disease, offering clues into how exercise relieves motor symptoms.

Researchers used deep brain stimulation implants to track neural activity before and after 12 sessions of dynamic cycling. And while no immediate changes were seen, significant alterations in motor-related brain signals appeared by the end of the program. The findings suggest that exercise may induce broader network-level changes in the brain, helping to restore connections disrupted by Parkinson’s.  Amazing stuff! Here’s more: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ejn.70180