• Nocions™ are small molecule charged sodium channel blockers designed to selectively silence activated pain-sensing neurons while sparing normal sensation and motor function

• Approach enables broad inhibition of multiple sodium channels (Na_V1.7, 1.8, 1.9) driving pathological pain, addressing redundancy that has limited single-target strategies

Nocion Therapeutics, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule therapies that selectively silence activated sensory neurons, today announced that preclinical data supporting the potential use of its proprietary charged sodium channel blockers, known as nocions™, for the treatment of certain types of pain will be presented at the Non-Opioid Pain Therapeutics Summit, taking place January 27-29, 2026 in Boston, MA.

Nocion’s Chief Scientific Officer, Jim Ellis, Ph.D., will present a talk titled, “Next-Generation Pain Relief: Selective Sodium Channel Blockade for Targeted Analgesia.” His presentation will highlight preclinical findings across multiple pain models that support the potential for nocions to deliver robust and long-acting analgesic effects with a favorable tolerability profile. Nocions are small molecules designed to enter activated nociceptors through open large-pore ion channels associated with injury and inflammation, where they then inhibit multiple voltage-gated sodium (Na_V) channels that drive pathological pain signaling.

“Pain is mediated by a complex and redundant network of sodium channels in sensory neurons, which has made it challenging to develop effective and well-tolerated therapies by targeting a single channel in isolation,” said Dr. Ellis. “Our preclinical work supports the potential of nocions to selectively access activated pain-sensing neurons and broadly inhibit the sodium channels responsible for aberrant signaling, offering a fundamentally different approach to pain modulation without the liabilities of opioids or traditional local anesthetics.”

Unlike conventional sodium channel blockers, nocions are positively charged with limited ability to passively cross the cell membrane or enter inactive neurons or non-sensory cells. This selectivity is intended to preserve normal sensation and motor function while providing sustained inhibition of pathological pain signaling.

“Jim’s presentation reflects Nocion’s broader platform strategy to investigate the therapeutic potential of nocions beyond our lead indication of chronic cough and across multiple indications involving sensory neuron hyperexcitability, including pain, itch, and inflammation,” said Richard Batycky, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Nocion. “This work builds on decades of research by our scientific founders into the mechanisms that distinguish pathological pain from normal sensory function, and represents an important conceptual advance in the pursuit of safer, more effective non-opioid pain therapies.”

The company’s lead pipeline program is taplucainium dry powder for inhalation, a first-in-class and potentially best-in-class, locally delivered nocion designed to selectively silence activated/inflamed airway nociceptors for the treatment of refractory or unexplained chronic cough (rCC/uCC). Topline results from Nocion’s ASPIRE Phase 2b clinical trial of taplucainium in adults with rCC/uCC are expected in mid-2026.

ABOUT NOCION

Nocion Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule CSCBs, nocions™, that selectively affect actively firing nociceptors for the treatment of serious conditions involving cough, itch, and pain. The Company’s mission is to safely alleviate suffering for millions of patients with conditions arising from activated sensory neurons. Working with Harvard’s Office of Technology Development, Nocion was founded on an exclusive license to foundational intellectual property from Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital.

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