Nutriband Stock Price, News & Analysis
Company Description
Nutriband Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRB) is a company engaged in the development of prescription transdermal pharmaceutical products. According to company disclosures, Nutriband is primarily focused on building a portfolio of transdermal pharmaceutical products, with a lead product under development that targets the safety risks associated with drugs that have abuse potential. The company is classified in the industry category "All Other Miscellaneous Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing" within the broader manufacturing sector.
The company’s core technology platform is its AVERSA™ abuse-deterrent transdermal technology. Public statements describe AVERSA as a proprietary approach that incorporates aversive agents into transdermal patches to help prevent the abuse, diversion, misuse, and accidental exposure of drugs with abuse potential, including opioids and stimulant drugs. By adding aversive agents to the patch, AVERSA is designed to make it more difficult and less desirable to misuse transdermal products, particularly through oral abuse, while aiming to keep medically necessary treatments available for patients who require them.
Business focus and lead product
Nutriband states that it is primarily engaged in the development of a portfolio of transdermal pharmaceutical products. Its lead product under development is an abuse‑deterrent fentanyl transdermal system, often referred to as AVERSA™ FENTANYL. Company communications describe AVERSA Fentanyl as a fentanyl patch that combines Nutriband’s AVERSA abuse‑deterrent technology with an FDA‑approved fentanyl patch supplied by Kindeva Drug Delivery, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO).
According to multiple public releases, AVERSA Fentanyl is being developed for the management of pain in opioid‑tolerant patients with pain severe enough to require daily, around‑the‑clock, long‑term opioid treatment where alternative treatment options are inadequate. Nutriband has stated that AVERSA Fentanyl is intended to deter abuse and misuse and reduce the risk of accidental exposure of transdermal fentanyl patches, and has noted that, to its knowledge, there have not been any abuse‑deterrent fentanyl patches approved in the United States or in other countries.
AVERSA™ abuse‑deterrent transdermal technology
In its public descriptions, Nutriband explains that AVERSA™ abuse‑deterrent transdermal technology works by incorporating aversive agents into the coating of transdermal patches. This aversive coating is described as employing taste aversion to deter oral abuse and to reduce accidental exposure. The company states that AVERSA technology can be applied to any transdermal patch that contains a drug with abuse potential, including opioids and stimulants, with the goal of preventing abuse, diversion, misuse, and accidental exposure.
Nutriband has also disclosed that it filed a provisional patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to further strengthen intellectual property protection for its AVERSA transdermal technology. This filing covers improved aversive formulations and coating application methods intended to enhance the abuse‑deterrent properties of the technology and make it more difficult to defeat. The company notes that, if converted into a non‑provisional patent application and granted, such a patent could extend patent protection for products that utilize AVERSA technology.
Intellectual property and geographic patent coverage
Company press releases emphasize that the AVERSA abuse‑deterrent technology is supported by a broad international intellectual property portfolio. Nutriband reports that patents covering AVERSA have been granted in 46 countries, including the United States, Europe, Japan, Korea, Russia, China, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. The company has also announced receiving a Notice of Allowance for a U.S. patent covering its transdermal abuse‑deterrent technology, and has cited a U.S. patent titled "Abuse and Misuse Deterrent Transdermal Systems" as part of its intellectual property base.
According to Nutriband, this patent coverage is intended to protect the AVERSA platform and extend the period during which the company can develop and potentially commercialize abuse‑deterrent transdermal products that use the technology.
Regulatory and development pathway
Nutriband has publicly described its interactions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding AVERSA Fentanyl. The company reported holding a virtual face‑to‑face meeting with the FDA’s Division of Anesthesiology, Addiction Medicine, and Pain Medicine in the Office of Neuroscience, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The stated purpose of this meeting was to obtain feedback on the Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) plans for AVERSA Fentanyl from the submission of an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) through a 505(b)(2) New Drug Application (NDA) and subsequent commercialization.
In its summary of the meeting, Nutriband reported that the FDA:
- Confirmed that the regulatory pathway for AVERSA Fentanyl is a 505(b)(2) NDA and provided guidance on the reference listed drug and bridging strategy.
- Provided expectations and feedback on the registration batch plan and manufacturing process validation strategy for NDA submission.
- Discussed considerations for finalizing product specifications and stability testing plans for clinical and commercial products.
- Offered feedback on planned in vitro manipulation and extraction studies (Category 1) designed to characterize the product’s abuse‑deterrent properties, including the level of effort required to bypass or defeat those properties.
Nutriband has stated that it is incorporating this feedback into its development program as it moves toward an IND filing in support of a Human Abuse Potential (HAP) clinical study for AVERSA Fentanyl.
Partnerships and collaborations
Public announcements indicate that Nutriband works with several external organizations in connection with its lead product and technology:
- Kindeva Drug Delivery: Nutriband has a Commercial Development and Clinical Supply Agreement with Kindeva for AVERSA Fentanyl. The companies revised this agreement to formalize an exclusive product development partnership and long‑term commitment based on shared development costs in exchange for milestone payments. Kindeva provides an FDA‑approved fentanyl patch that is combined with Nutriband’s AVERSA technology.
- Brand Institute, Inc.: Through its 4P Therapeutics subsidiary, Nutriband entered into an agreement with Brand Institute to develop the worldwide commercial brand name and visual identity for its lead abuse‑deterrent fentanyl transdermal system. Brand Institute and its regulatory subsidiary, Drug Safety Institute, are engaged to help ensure that the eventual proprietary name is distinguishable and appropriate from a regulatory and patient safety perspective.
- Qvanta Group of Companies: Nutriband signed a non‑binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with Qvanta, a U.S.‑based advanced technology organization. Under this LOI, the parties plan to explore potential collaboration areas such as secure AI and analytics platforms for regulated pharmaceutical data, cybersecurity and data‑integrity frameworks that support abuse‑deterrent technologies, and advanced modeling and simulation capabilities enabled by quantum‑ready infrastructure. The LOI does not create a binding commercial relationship, and any future collaboration would require definitive agreements.
Corporate actions and capital structure initiatives
In communications to shareholders, Nutriband has described several actions related to shareholder structure and capital planning. The company highlighted its reluctance to raise capital in ways that could introduce additional warrants or unfavorable capital structures. It disclosed an agreement to sell a 90% interest in its subsidiary Pocono Pharmaceutical to EarthVision Bio for a stated consideration of $5 million, while retaining a 10% shareholding in the new entity. Nutriband has indicated that proceeds from this transaction are intended to support continued development of AVERSA Fentanyl.
The company also announced a 25% preferred stock dividend to existing shareholders, with each preferred share convertible into one share of common stock following FDA approval of AVERSA Fentanyl. If not converted, the preferred shares are described as being entitled to a cash dividend paid from company profits on an annual basis, as determined by the board of directors. Nutriband has additionally pointed to outstanding warrants from its IPO and has discussed the scheduled expiration date of those warrants as a milestone it is monitoring.
Index inclusion
Nutriband has reported that it was added to several stock indexes as part of a Russell indexes reconstitution. The company stated that it was included in the Russell Microcap Index, Russell Microcap Growth Index, Russell 3000E Index, and Russell 3000E Growth Index. This index inclusion is presented by Nutriband as a development of interest to shareholders.
Public positioning on fentanyl and unmet need
In response to a U.S. executive order designating illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as weapons of mass destruction, Nutriband issued a statement distinguishing illicit fentanyl from FDA‑approved prescription fentanyl therapies, such as transdermal fentanyl patches. The company emphasized that prescription transdermal fentanyl is used for opioid‑tolerant patients with severe chronic pain requiring long‑term opioid treatment when other options are inadequate, and that access to these therapies should be maintained while combating illicit fentanyl.
Nutriband has also cited FDA communications noting the risks of fentanyl patch abuse, misuse, and accidental exposure, particularly in children, and has characterized these issues as an unmet need for safer abuse‑deterrent versions of transdermal fentanyl products. Within this context, the company presents AVERSA Fentanyl as a potential response to these safety concerns.
Company status and trading
Based on the provided information, Nutriband Inc. trades on NASDAQ under the symbol NTRB, with associated warrants trading under the symbol NTRBW. The company has filed current reports on Form 8‑K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to furnish press releases as Regulation FD disclosures. The available materials do not indicate delisting, deregistration, or completed mergers or acquisitions affecting the company’s status.