NRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: NRXP) announced the incorporation of NRx Defense Systems Inc., a Florida-based research and development subsidiary focused on developing neuroplastic treatments for military personnel and first responders.

The subsidiary will develop treatments combining D-cycloserine with transcranial magnetic stimulation under robotic-enabled neuro-navigation. Dr. Dennis McBride, a retired Navy captain and former Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program manager, will serve as the subsidiary's first president.

McBride previously held leadership roles at the Office of the Secretary of Defense and served as a distinguished research fellow at the National Defense University. The subsidiary will be supported by Professor Joshua Brown, who directs transcranial magnetic stimulation research at Harvard/McLean and leads projects funded by the National Institutes of Health and DARPA.

The development initiative will be conducted in partnership with Zeta Surgical Inc., whose AI-powered neuronavigation platform received FDA 510(k) clearance for TMS navigation in October 2025. The platform provides sub-millimeter accuracy without requiring head fixation or general anesthesia.

The companies plan to present the prototype robotic-enabled TMS technology at the Clinical TMS Society annual meeting in June 2026 in Boston. The technology targets depression and PTSD treatment in military settings, where front-line troops and first responders face five-fold increased risk for these conditions.

NRx Pharmaceuticals develops therapeutics for central nervous system disorders, including suicidal depression, chronic pain, and PTSD. The company's NRX-100 has received Fast Track Designation for treating suicidal ideation in depression, while NRX-101 received Breakthrough Therapy Designation for suicidal bipolar depression treatment.