DURECT Stock Price, News & Analysis

DURECT Corporation (historically traded on Nasdaq under the symbol DRRX) is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of epigenetic therapies that target dysregulated DNA methylation. According to company disclosures, its goal is to transform the treatment of serious and life-threatening conditions, including acute organ injury. The company has reported that its work centers on conditions such as alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), a severe form of alcohol-associated liver disease for which there are no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved therapies.

DURECT’s lead drug candidate is larsucosterol, described as an endogenous sulfated oxysterol and an epigenetic modulator. Company materials state that larsucosterol binds to and inhibits the activity of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b), enzymes associated with DNA hypermethylation. This mechanism is presented as a way to modulate expression of genes involved in stress responses, cell death and survival, lipid biosynthesis and related pathways that may be relevant in acute organ injury and certain chronic diseases. Larsucosterol is in clinical development for the potential treatment of AH, and DURECT reports that the FDA has granted it Fast Track and Breakthrough Therapy designations for this indication. The company has also disclosed that metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) has been explored as an additional area of interest.

In multiple public updates, DURECT has described itself as a late-stage company because larsucosterol has progressed through a Phase 2b trial known as AHFIRM. The AHFIRM study is described as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, international, multi-center trial in subjects with severe alcohol-associated hepatitis. According to the company, the trial enrolled 307 patients across three arms (placebo plus standard of care, and two larsucosterol dose groups) and evaluated outcomes such as 90-day mortality and liver transplantation. DURECT has highlighted that results from AHFIRM were published in NEJM Evidence, and that additional analyses from this trial have informed the design of a planned registrational Phase 3 trial in severe AH, with 90-day survival as the primary endpoint.

Company communications emphasize that AH is associated with long-term heavy alcohol intake and can lead to severe inflammation, liver cell damage, liver failure, acute kidney injury and multi-organ failure. DURECT cites published data indicating high short-term mortality rates in AH and notes that existing therapies, such as corticosteroids, have limitations and have not demonstrated improved survival at longer time points. Against this backdrop, DURECT positions larsucosterol as a potential new therapeutic approach grounded in epigenetic modulation of disease pathways.

In addition to its development-stage pipeline, DURECT has disclosed that POSIMIR (bupivacaine solution) for infiltration use is FDA-approved as a non-opioid analgesic that utilizes the company’s SABER platform technology. Public statements indicate that POSIMIR is based on DURECT’s proprietary delivery technology and that it has been licensed in the United States to Innocoll Pharmaceuticals for sale and distribution during certain periods. DURECT has also reported that it evaluates options and partnerships related to POSIMIR commercialization, including the transfer of data and know-how from Innocoll and the potential to identify new partners.

DURECT has further noted that it previously owned the ALZET product line of miniature, implantable osmotic pumps used for research in laboratory animals. In late 2024, the company announced the sale of the ALZET line to Lafayette Instrument Co. for a stated purchase price, explaining that this divestiture was intended to align its business more closely with its strategic focus on larsucosterol and epigenetic therapies. Following that transaction, DURECT indicated that the ALZET operating results were presented as discontinued operations in its financial statements.

From a corporate structure perspective, DURECT has described itself as a Delaware corporation with principal executive offices in Cupertino, California. Historically, its common stock was listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker DRRX. In 2025, DURECT entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Bausch Health Americas, Inc. and BHC Lyon Merger Sub, Inc., under which a tender offer was commenced to acquire all outstanding shares of DURECT common stock. Subsequent filings report that the tender offer was completed and that, on September 11, 2025, Merger Sub merged with and into DURECT, with DURECT continuing as an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Bausch Health Americas, Inc. An associated Form 25 filing by Nasdaq on the same date indicates that DURECT’s common stock was removed from listing on Nasdaq.

Later in September 2025, DURECT filed a Form 15 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), certifying the termination of registration of its common stock under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the suspension of its duty to file periodic reports under Sections 13 and 15(d). The filing notes that there was one holder of record as of the certification date. As a result, DRRX now represents the historical listing symbol for DURECT prior to its acquisition and deregistration, rather than an actively traded public equity on a national securities exchange.

For investors and researchers reviewing DRRX as a historical security, DURECT’s story centers on the development of larsucosterol as an epigenetic therapy for severe alcohol-associated hepatitis, the strategic use of its SABER platform in an approved non-opioid analgesic, and corporate transactions including the sale of the ALZET product line and the company’s acquisition by Bausch Health. Company disclosures consistently note that larsucosterol remains an investigational drug candidate that has not been approved for commercialization by the FDA or other health authorities for any indication.

Business focus and therapeutic area

DURECT’s public materials describe a focused biopharmaceutical model centered on:

• Epigenetic therapies: Targeting dysregulated DNA methylation through small molecules such as larsucosterol.
• Severe liver disease: Developing potential treatments for alcohol-associated hepatitis, a condition with high mortality and limited treatment options.
• Acute organ injury and related conditions: Framing larsucosterol’s mechanism as relevant to acute organ injury and certain chronic diseases, with MASH cited as an area of exploration.
• Drug delivery platforms: Applying its SABER technology to support an FDA-approved non-opioid analgesic, POSIMIR.

Regulatory designations and clinical development

According to DURECT, the FDA has granted larsucosterol Fast Track Designation and Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of alcohol-associated hepatitis. The company has reported that it is planning or preparing for a registrational Phase 3 trial in severe AH, informed by FDA feedback received in a Type B meeting and by data from the Phase 2b AHFIRM trial. Public statements describe this planned Phase 3 study as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial in the United States, with 90-day survival as the primary endpoint.

DURECT has emphasized that the AHFIRM trial results, including subgroup analyses and biomarker data, have been published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at major liver disease conferences. These analyses have been described as supporting the importance of timely treatment and informing the design of the planned Phase 3 trial. The company has also noted that, in regulatory discussions, the FDA has indicated that a single successful Phase 3 trial could potentially be sufficient to support a New Drug Application for larsucosterol in AH, subject to the usual conditions and review.

Corporate status and DRRX ticker history

While DURECT continues to operate as a corporate entity under the ownership of Bausch Health Americas, Inc., SEC and exchange filings show that DRRX is no longer listed on Nasdaq and that the company has terminated its registration and periodic reporting obligations. A Form 25 filed by Nasdaq on September 11, 2025, relates to the removal of DURECT’s common stock from listing on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. A Form 15 filed on September 22, 2025, documents the termination of registration under Section 12(g) and suspension of reporting duties under Sections 13 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

For users researching DRRX stock, this means that the symbol now represents a former Nasdaq-listed security associated with a company that has been acquired and taken private as an indirect wholly owned subsidiary. Historical financial statements, clinical updates and transaction details remain available through past SEC filings and company news releases, but new periodic reports under the Exchange Act are no longer required following the Form 15 filing.

Key points for investors and researchers

• DURECT is described as a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on epigenetic therapies targeting dysregulated DNA methylation.
• Its lead investigational drug candidate, larsucosterol, is in clinical development for alcohol-associated hepatitis and has received FDA Fast Track and Breakthrough Therapy designations for this indication.
• The company highlights the publication of Phase 2b AHFIRM trial data in NEJM Evidence and the use of these data to design a planned registrational Phase 3 trial in severe AH.
• DURECT also has an FDA-approved non-opioid analgesic, POSIMIR, based on its SABER platform technology, and has previously licensed POSIMIR in the U.S. to Innocoll Pharmaceuticals.
• The ALZET osmotic pump product line was sold in 2024, with DURECT presenting ALZET results as discontinued operations thereafter.
• In 2025, DURECT was acquired by Bausch Health Americas, Inc. via a tender offer and merger, and its common stock was delisted from Nasdaq and deregistered with the SEC.
• DRRX should therefore be viewed as a historical ticker linked to a former public company that now operates as a subsidiary within a larger pharmaceutical group.