ARTICLE | Product Development
Two mechanisms vie to deliver first hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy drug
ReAlta aims to shut down a pathological cascade, while Pharmazz seeks to restart a developmental program
May 7, 2026 10:23 PM UTC
After years of small, inconclusive adjunct trials, two biotechs now dominate the race to claim the first drug for neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy: ReAlta, with a complement‑blocking peptide derived from astrovirus biology, and Pharmazz, with a neuroregenerative endothelin B agonist first advanced in stroke.
ReAlta Life Sciences Inc. raised an oversubscribed $40 million financing last month to complete its Phase II trial of pegtarazimod for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)...