BetterLife Pharma Inc. develops BETR-001, a proprietary non-hallucinogenic derivative of LSD and neuroplastogen, for psychiatric and neurological disorders. News about BETRF commonly covers scientific updates on BETR-001’s mechanism of action and neuroplastogenic activity, intellectual property and regulatory-preparation disclosures, and disease areas such as traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, cluster headache, depression and anxiety.
Company updates also include strategic partnering and conference participation, development alternatives for its viral-infection therapeutic candidate, debt settlements and warrant exercises, board and advisory appointments, and public-company disclosure matters in Canada and the U.S. OTC market.
BetterLife Pharma (BETRF) has retained LifeSci Advisors to support investor relations and corporate communications as it prepares for clinical development. The engagement carries monthly fees of USD$24,250 for investor relations and USD$2,500 for media programs, with no equity-based compensation. Its initial 12-month term renews automatically for successive 12-month periods unless either party provides 60 days' prior written notice.
BetterLife targets an Investigational New Drug application in the first quarter of 2027 for BETR-001 and plans to initiate clinical development during 2027. The drug is being developed as a potential preventive treatment for chronic migraine and cluster headache. The company recently completed a USD$100 million financing led by Deep Track Capital and appointed headache experts Peter Goadsby and Richard Lipton as Scientific Advisory Board co-chairs.
BetterLife Pharma (BETRF) appointed Professor Richard B. Lipton as co-chair of its Scientific Advisory Board for the BETR-001 development program. He joins Professor Peter Goadsby, whose appointment was announced on October 14, 2026. BetterLife is developing BETR-001 for chronic cluster headache and chronic migraine.
Lipton directs the Montefiore Headache Center and is a past president of the American Headache Society. His appointment includes an agreed grant of options to purchase 500,000 common shares, vesting quarterly over 24 months with a ten-year term. The exercise price will follow Canadian Securities Exchange policies.
BetterLife Pharma (BETRF) has appointed Sheila Leitzinger as Head of Clinical Operations to lead planning and execution of its initial BETR-001 study.
The first-in-human study will involve healthy volunteers and is planned before the program advances into chronic cluster headache and chronic migraine. BETR-001 is the company's lead candidate. Leitzinger brings nearly 30 years of clinical development experience across large pharmaceutical and emerging biotechnology companies, spanning multiple therapeutic areas. She has led global clinical trials and managed first-in-human studies from planning through completion.
Leitzinger said her focus is on executing the healthy volunteer study and building the clinical infrastructure needed for the company's subsequent patient studies.
BetterLife Pharma (BETRF) established a Scientific Advisory Board for its BETR-001 headache program and appointed Professor Peter Goadsby as co-chair.
The board will advise on clinical development strategy, planned studies in chronic cluster headache and chronic migraine, and the scientific basis for regulatory interactions. BetterLife is preparing its investigational new drug application, which seeks permission to begin clinical testing. Goadsby co-received the 2021 Brain Prize for research identifying CGRP, a signaling molecule, as a central driver of migraine. His appointment includes an agreement to grant options to purchase 500,000 common shares.
BetterLife Pharma (BETRF) rescheduled its annual meeting to December 9, 2026, and reclassified it as an Annual General and Special Meeting.
The meeting, originally scheduled for October 14, 2026, will take place by conference call at 10am PT. Alongside director elections and auditor appointments, shareholders will vote on matters required to meet NASDAQ listing qualifications. The new shareholder record date is October 26, 2026. Updated meeting materials will detail the special business items and will be mailed and made available online and on SEDAR+ on or about November 9, 2026.
BetterLife Pharma (CSE: BETR, OTCQB: BETRF) appointed Charles Duncan, PhD as Director and Chair of the Audit Committee as of August 31, 2026. Duncan is a longtime biotechnology strategist and former top-ranked Wall Street biotechnology analyst with nearly 30 years of experience in capital markets, corporate strategy and life sciences.
According to BetterLife, Duncan currently serves as Managing Director, Head of Biotech Strategy & Development at Gilmartin Group and sits on the Board of Vanda Pharmaceuticals. He has covered over 175 biotechnology companies and evaluated more than 200 investment banking transactions, with sector expertise in neurology, psychiatry and oncology.
In connection with his appointment, BetterLife agreed to grant Duncan stock options to purchase 500,000 common shares, vesting quarterly over 24 months with a 10‑year term, plus 125,000 additional options vesting over 3 months, also with a 10‑year term. Exercise prices will follow Canadian Securities Exchange policies.
BetterLife Pharma (OTCQB: BETRF) appointed neurologist and headache specialist Mahan Chehrenama, DO, as Chief Medical Officer. She will lead clinical development of BETR-001, BetterLife’s non-hallucinogenic neuroplastogen, which is advancing toward an IND application for migraine and other headache disorders, anticipated in the first quarter of 2027.
Dr. Chehrenama brings nearly a decade of senior biopharma development experience and over two decades of clinical practice, including leadership roles at Manistee Therapeutics, Amgen, Revance Therapeutics, and Avanir Pharmaceuticals. BetterLife granted her options to purchase 500,000 common shares at $0.285, vesting quarterly over 24 months, with a 10‑year term.
BetterLife Pharma (OTCQB: BETRF) is prioritizing its lead clinical-stage asset BETR-001, a fully non-hallucinogenic, oral, non-scheduled 5-HT2A neuroplastogen, for migraine and primary headache disorders as lead indications. The program leverages an FDA-precedented serotonergic mechanism used in multiple approved migraine drugs and a human pilot signal of efficacy for racemic 2-bromo-LSD in cluster headache.
According to BetterLife, BETR-001 is covered by a U.S. composition-of-matter patent to 2042, has completed an FDA pre-IND meeting, initiated its final IND-enabling toxicity study, substantially completed GMP scale-up manufacturing, and is expected to have an IND filing in 1Q 2027. Psychiatric and other neurologic indications remain future optional opportunities.
BetterLife Pharma (OTCQB: BETRF) appointed biopharmaceutical executive John W. LaRocca to its Board of Directors and Audit Committee. LaRocca has three decades of public-company legal, compliance, M&A, and governance experience, including roles at multiple Nasdaq-listed firms.
He will receive options for 500,000 shares at $0.19. BetterLife also raised $40,000 from the exercise of 350,000 warrants to fund BETR-001 development and working capital.
BetterLife (OTCQB: BETRF) has engaged Nucro-Technics to conduct the last IND-enabling GLP toxicology study of its lead candidate BETR-001. BETR-001, a non-hallucinogenic 2-bromo-LSD derivative, is being developed for migraine and cluster headache. The FDA IND filing is projected for Q1 2027, supporting a planned Phase 1 program.