DemeRx Appoints Ibogaine Pioneer Juan Sanchez-Ramos to Scientific Advisory Board

Juan Sanchez-Ramos, M.D., Ph.D., reunites with DemeRx founder and CEO Deborah Mash, Ph.D., more than three decades after they led pioneering FDA-authorized U.S. clinical research on ibogaine

Appointment comes as federal initiatives accelerate research into ibogaine compounds and other psychedelic therapies for serious mental illness

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DemeRx, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming addiction therapeutics, today announced the appointment of Juan R. Sanchez-Ramos, M.D., Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board. A neurologist and clinician-scientist whose career has spanned addiction, movement disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases, Dr. Sanchez-Ramos was an early leader in the clinical investigation of ibogaine and a scientific collaborator of DemeRx founder and CEO Deborah C. Mash, Ph.D.

“Juan and I were there at the beginning – traveling to the Netherlands to observe ibogaine treatment, working together to secure FDA authorization and then bringing the research into a clinical setting at Jackson Memorial Hospital,” said Dr. Mash. “At a time when few investigators were willing or able to work with a Schedule I compound, Juan brought the rigor of a neurologist and clinician-scientist to the field. His appointment to our Scientific Advisory Board brings our work full circle and adds invaluable scientific and clinical perspective as DemeRx advances DMX-1001 for the treatment of alcohol use disorder.”

In the early 1990s, Drs. Sanchez-Ramos and Mash lead an academic investigator-sponsored Phase 1 dose-ranging study of ibogaine at the University of Miami. Dr. Sanchez-Ramos served as the study’s clinical investigator and oversaw neurological evaluations in an initial cohort of nine participants. He advanced the use of posturography to assess balance and neurologic function to demonstrate the neurologic safety of ibogaine. The collaborators later published findings from their research and were named, with William Lee Hearn, as co-inventors on an early U.S. patent application covering the identification of its active metabolite of ibogaine for treating chemical dependency.

“Deborah and I recognized the scientific potential of ibogaine long before the field attracted mainstream attention,” said Dr. Sanchez-Ramos. “DemeRx has carried that early work forward by translating insights from ibogaine into DMX-1001, an investigational oral dose form of noribogaine. DMX-1001 also has potential for Parkinson’s disease and other neurologic disorders. I am honored to rejoin Deborah and contribute my experience in clinical neuroscience, movement disorders, and translational research as the company advances this program for people living with alcohol use disorder.”

Renewed federal attention to psychedelic research has brought the field to a pivotal moment. An April 2026 executive order called for accelerated research and appropriate regulatory pathways for psychedelic drugs, specifically including ibogaine compounds. The order also directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), to allocate at least $50 million to support state programs advancing psychedelic drugs for serious mental illnesses. ARPA-H’s EVIDENT initiative is designed to develop objective, FDA-ready clinical endpoints for rapid-acting behavioral health interventions, including neuroplastogens.

DemeRx is advancing DMX-1001 (oral noribogaine), an investigational neuroplastogen for alcohol use disorder (AUD). DemeRx has completed a Phase 1 multiple ascending dose clinical trial of DMX-1001, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company’s Investigational New Drug application. The company plans to conduct an alcohol interaction study to support initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial in people with AUD in 2027.

About Juan Sanchez-Ramos, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Sanchez-Ramos is Professor Emeritus of Neurology at the University of South Florida, where he previously held the Helen Ellis Endowed Chair and directed the Huntington’s Disease Society of America Center of Excellence. His research has addressed drug dependence, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, neural transplantation, stem cell biology, and novel approaches to gene therapy delivery. He also participated in the U.S.-Venezuela collaborative research project that contributed to the discovery of the Huntington’s disease gene.

Dr. Sanchez-Ramos earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology and physiology from the University of Chicago and an M.D. from the University of Illinois. He completed a neurology residency at the University of Chicago and a fellowship in movement disorders at the University of Miami.

About DemeRx Inc

DemeRx, Inc. is a pioneering clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming addiction therapeutics and improving outcomes for individuals facing substance use disorders. Leveraging advanced scientific research and strategic clinical initiatives, DemeRx focuses on DMX-1001 (oral noribogaine) as a potential solution for alcohol use disorder. For more information, please visit www.demerx.com or follow us on LinkedIn.