- Nutriband sustains itself through multiple revenue-generating subsidiaries
- At the core of the company’s innovation is the AVERSA(TM) platform, a proprietary abuse-deterrent transdermal technology
- AVERSA(TM) fentanyl is projected to achieve peak annual sales of $200 million upon FDA approval, with upside potential exceeding $800 million
The opioid crisis continues to highlight the urgent need for safer, more secure drug delivery methods, and Nutriband (NASDAQ: NTRB) is positioning itself as a company with a solution. At the August 2025 Emerging Growth Conference, Nutriband founder and president Serguei Melnik detailed the company’s lead product, AVERSA(TM), an abuse-deterrent transdermal technology that integrates aversive agents to prevent misuse, abuse and accidental exposure of drugs with high abuse potential, particularly opioids (ibn.fm/1qrav). With AVERSA(TM), Nutriband is aiming to transform traditional transdermal patches into safer tools for patients who require powerful pain relief, while simultaneously reducing the risks that have fueled a national epidemic.
Melnik opened his presentation by highlighting the company’s origins and growth trajectory since its founding in 2016. Nutriband, which completed its IPO in 2021, is structured differently from many biotechnology companies. Instead of relying solely on investor capital while burning through development costs, Nutriband sustains itself through multiple revenue-generating subsidiaries. These include 4P Therapeutics, a clinical consulting and regulatory program arm; Pocono Pharmaceuticals, which provides contract manufacturing services; and Active Intelligence, a sports recovery and kinesiology tape business. Together, these subsidiaries generate revenue that offsets the company’s development costs and reduces its reliance on dilutive fundraising.
At the core of Nutriband’s innovation is the AVERSA™ platform, a proprietary abuse-deterrent transdermal technology. Melnik explained that AVERSA(TM) can be applied to any existing transdermal patch, but the company’s lead candidate is an abuse-deterrent fentanyl patch. The technology is designed to interfere with the primary methods of opioid patch misuse, including chewing, snorting, brewing into tea or extracting the drug for alternative consumption. When an attempt is made to tamper with the AVERSA(TM) patch, the aversive agents are activated, rendering the opioid unusable and reducing the likelihood of abuse. Melnik emphasized that the deterrent components do not interfere with the drug’s therapeutic effect during normal prescribed use.
The need for this innovation is significant. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 80,000 opioid overdose deaths were recorded in 2024, a crisis that has continued into subsequent years (ibn.fm/POBas). Fentanyl patches, though vital for many patients with severe chronic pain, remain especially vulnerable to diversion and misuse. Melnik cited data showing that 70% of fentanyl patch abusers ingest the drug orally, making oral deterrence mechanisms a crucial feature of the AVERSA(TM) technology.
He also noted the tragic instances of accidental exposure, including 32 recorded cases resulting in 12 deaths, often among young children. By addressing both intentional misuse and accidental harm, Nutriband’s AVERSA(TM) aims to significantly improve the safety profile of opioid patches.
The commercial potential is substantial. Based on third-party assessments, AVERSA(TM) fentanyl is projected to achieve peak annual sales of $200 million upon U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approval, with upside potential exceeding $800 million if the FDA were to mandate abuse-deterrent formulations for all fentanyl patches, like its requirement for oxycodone in prior years. In June 2025, Nutriband announced that it had completed commercial-scale manufacturing of AVERSA(TM) in partnership with Kindeva, a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization specializing in transdermal systems (ibn.fm/00DvY). The company is preparing to manufacture clinical supplies and file an Investigational New Drug (“IND”) application with the FDA to initiate human abuse liability studies, the pivotal trial required before formal FDA submission.
Melnik noted that the company expects the pivotal phase 1 study, which compares AVERSA(TM) Fentanyl against conventional patches, to demonstrate the technology’s ability to resist tampering and misuse. Following that study, Nutriband plans to submit its application to the FDA within the next 12 months, targeting potential approval in late 2026 or early 2027. Meanwhile, Nutriband has secured patents protecting AVERSA(TM) in 47 countries, including recent approvals in China, Hong Kong and Macau, strengthening its global commercialization prospects.
Beyond fentanyl, Nutriband is also developing AVERSA formulations for buprenorphine and methylphenidate patches, extending the platform into additional therapeutic areas where transdermal delivery intersects with drugs prone to abuse. Melnik emphasized that AVERSA(TM) is not limited to one product but represents a scalable platform technology that can be applied across multiple classes of drugs.
Finally, Melnik contrasted Nutriband’s approach with the traditional biotech model. He highlighted that Nutriband has not returned to public markets for dilutive capital raises since its IPO in 2021, thanks in part to revenue streams from its subsidiaries and disciplined financial management. This structure, he noted, enables the company to pursue innovation in abuse-deterrent technology while protecting shareholder value.
Nutriband’s AVERSA(TM) represents a novel attempt to combine patient access to effective pain management with enhanced safety for the public at large. If successful, the technology could reshape not only the transdermal market but also the broader landscape of opioid safety, aligning with Nutriband’s stated mission of developing science-based, values-driven innovations that improve patient lives while addressing urgent public health challenges.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Nutriband.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to NTRB are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/NTRB
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