Seelos Therapeutics

Seelos Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company based in New York City. Founded in 2016, the company is now developing a ketamine spray to treat acute suicidal ideation, Major Depressive Disorder, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

The single-use, bi-dose intranasal spray is currently the company’s only psychedelic-related product. It is composed of racemic ketamine — an equal mix of both of ketamine’s isomers, arketamine (R) and esketamine (S). Seelos’ website explains that racemic ketamine is more potent than esketamine, the isolated S-isomer formulation which is the basis of Johnson & Johnson’s Spravato® medication. The distinctions among ketamine formulations and their neurochemistry are discussed in a Psychedelic Science Review article. In an interview with Uttara Choudhury of Proactive Investors, Seelos CEO Raj Mehra stated,

The key benefit of SLS-002 is that we hope to get these patients out of the ER/psychiatric hospital sooner using our drug. It will only be administered in the ER setting, and we are making it a single-use device to make its administration safe and convenient.

Seelos wrapped its initial Phase 1 studies in 2020. In January of 2021, the company dosed its first patients in a two-part Proof-of-Concept clinical trial.1 The first, open-label study found a “significant treatment effect and well-tolerated safety profile.” Part two –the placebo-controlled, double-blind study– commenced in June 2021. Seelos is working with the FDA on a regulatory pathway throughout the research process.

Other treatment foci of Seelos’ drug development include CNS disorders such as ALS and  Parkinsons, other neurological diseases, rare pediatric diseases like esophagitis and Sanfilippo syndrome, as well as asthma and atopic dermatitis. 

As of June 2021, Seelos is part of two psychedelic-related stock funds: one listed on a U.S. exchange and the other on a Canadian exchange.