Ensysce Biosciences awarded $5.3M in continued NIDA support

Ensysce Biosciences (ENSC) was awarded the second $5.3M installment of a $15M, three-year grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This continued support will accelerate the clinical and non-clinical development of PF614-MPAR, a next-generation opioid designed to offer powerful pain relief while dramatically reducing the risk of overdose. PF614-MPAR, which has earned the FDA’s prestigious Breakthrough Therapy designation, is uniquely engineered using Ensysce’s proprietary TAAP and MPAR technologies. These platforms enable PF614-MPAR to maintain therapeutic efficacy while offering built-in overdose protection – even when doses exceed prescribed amounts, whether accidentally or intentionally. The first year of NIDA funding, together with outside capital raised, enabled a series of promising clinical studies that validated PF614-MPAR’s ability to prevent overdose. This next phase of funding which began on June 1, 2025, will focus on optimizing the final drug formulation, undertaking further clinical evaluation while preparing to move to commercialization. Ensysce plans to engage with the FDA in the coming months to align on full development plans based on the robust data generated to date.